An Uninvited Guest
by Mountain King
Summary: The crew of Voyager learn they aren't the only travellers stranded in the Delta Quadrant when a strange alien comes onboard causing havoc finding his own way home. A crossover, of sorts.
1. Introduction

An Uninvited Guest  
Introduction and Teaser

Authors Note:-  
This is a second draft of the story. I've fixed a few spelling mishaps, cleaned up some plot points and fixed a few problems. I've also changed the costume of the OC so his origin is a little more difficult to pin down and a bit more interesting.

Authors Original Introduction:-  
I shouldn't watch old Trek. No not classic Star Trek like TOS or TNG, I mean old Trek; Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Deep Space Nine might be the best Trek series ever (I know that's controversial, but I don't care) and even now I'm older and far more cynical I still think there are moments beyond compare. Take In the Pale Moonlight and Far Beyond the Stars, two of the best hours of television I've ever seen. There's also Duet, Crossfire, Hard Time, etc. Episode after episode of complex and well structured stories.

Voyager on the other hand is a perfect example of wasted potential. Enterprise was just a result of writer burnout. You have to remember the same writers that did it had just come from a seven year stint on Voyager and had spent a good few years on Next Gen. They didn't have any fresh ideas, heck even the bad ones had been used up on Voyager.

And that was Voyager's problem. We had good actors forced into bad positions and bad outfits. Plots that didn't just abuse the reset button but made a joke about doing so in its fourth year. Fourth out of seven! Characters that were just wasted, or never allowed to develop (hello Harry). Actors that won't stop moaning about it (I'm looking at you Beltran) and very good looking, skilled, actresses shoehorned into corsets for the entertainment of prepubescent boys (not that we complained).

Anyway, I've wanted to write something for Voyager for awhile and re-watching a handful of episodes triggered a few ideas. Now really I just want to stretch my skills with the characters and see what I can do with them. But as those of you who know me might have guessed I needed a plot. Easiest way to do that would be to bring in another character to introduce conflict.

You could accuse me of writing a Gary Stu here and I'm aware of that. There are a lot of elements of that sort of travesty here, I can't defend that. What I can say is he's not. The original character isn't going to start making friends with the crew and he's not going to suddenly produce a solution for an impossible problem out of his hat. For one he doesn't have a hat, second he is the problem. He is also his own solution.

That's enough excuses, on with the show.

Full disclaimer at the end, just to keep the suspense, but I only own the intruder, AKA The Scholar. All the others and related background belong to their respective owners. I'm not making any profit and do not intend to.

* * *

Teaser

Seven of Nine tapped in a few more commands into her console, saving her written log and transferring several files to the computer in the astrometric lab. She had another few minutes before the start of her shift in the brand new astrometrics facility, that gave her ample chance to finish last nights calculations. Yet another one of Voyager's scrapes with near disaster had taken priority yesterday, disrupting her schedule.

As was customary she had assigned twelve minutes fourteen seconds of her day to raising this point, yet again, with Captain Janeway. While experience had proven this to be an inefficient use of her time the Doctor had suggested setting aside more time for social interaction.

Behind her the cargo bay's doors opened. That was not expected, the only member of the crew that would come in at this time of the morning would be the Doctor and she wasn't due another check up for three days. Turning the former drone blinked in what might almost be called shock.

It was not a member of Voyager's crew. They looked human, medium height, mid length hair and unremarkable facial features. However he wasn't wearing the standard starfleet uniform, or any uniform Seven was familiar with. His costume was primarily a mix of matt and glossy black. The collar was strange, more like an elaborate sheath that came down over his chest. On top of that he wore a long cloak that had the appearance of rich velvet. It was a green so dark it was almost black itself and had strange spiral patterns woven into it with what looked like a single dark gold thread. The cloak didn't cover is arms, showing off long stiff gloves that appeared to be made of some sort of leather. Just like the collar they were a glossy black that seemed to catch the light.

Seven stepped away from her console, hand hovering over her comm badge 'Who are you? How did you get aboard this vessel?' He was unarmed, but that didn't mean he wasn't a threat.

The stranger was taken a back at the sight of her. 'A Borg drone.' He said before frowning. Pulling out an ancient pocket watch he flicked it open and inspected it. Frowning again he looked back. 'This is the mid twenty fourth century, and an Earth vessel at that. Things can't be that different here, you should be at war with each other.'

'The Borg are, I was separated from the collective.' She admitted before asking 'Who are you and how did you get on this ship?' Her hand hovering just over the comm badge.

'I don't have time for this.' He sighed, stepping out of the hallway and into the cargo bay. 'I really am sorry, but I ran into a time storm off by the Medusa Cascade. I need technology to get home, and this dismal hole is the closest thing to it for this sector.'

With a blink Seven realised he was standing next to the door controls. Not willing to wait any longer she tapped her badge. 'Seven of Nine to Commander Tuvok…' She began, but there was a slight squeak as the badge failed to connect. A glance at the door controls told her why.

It was an impressive feat. Somehow he must have modulated the magnetic shielding to interfere with the badge's frequency. Seven didn't waste time on curiosity, lunging for the intruder she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the controls. As she tried to disable his jamming protocols he touched her temple, gently, with two fingers.

Before she could react the former drone suddenly felt very tired. Stumbling to one side she had to hold onto the side of the bulkhead as her knees buckled. If she hadn't once been part of the collective she might not even realised why. There was a whispering voice inside her head, somehow it had joined with her own thoughts like a stick sliding into a stream. The voice was gentle, almost soft, but still as strong as durasteel. 'Sorry my dear,' The intruder muttered within the halls of her mind. 'But you're going to have a little sleep now.'

Seven felt her grip slip as she collapsed gently into oblivion.

* * *

Tuvok frowned and tapped his console again. Sensor records still showed some sort of power anomaly. It was an intermittent fault, with no pattern or structure to it.

It wasn't unusual, After five years of hard wear some systems had developed flaws, given the damage Voyager had suffered it wasn't surprising. The problem with that theory was that this time there had been no warning. Usually there were minor errors with a power conduit before it had problems on this scale. 'Ensign Kim.' He looked across the bridge. 'Are your sensors showing a problem with the power grid?'

'Yes sir,' He nodded, not looking up. 'I've been trying to narrow it down. Seems to be coming from somewhere near cargo bay two.'

'Bay two?' Tuvok asked before tapping his comm badge. 'Tuvok to Seven of Nine. What is your current location?' There was no answer. Bay two was where the former Drone's alcove was. 'Computer, what is the current location of Seven of Nine?'

'Seven of Nine is in cargo bay two.' it answered. Tuvok glanced at the time stamp on his screen. It was still relatively early, but the former drone should have been in astrometrics by now. The power fluctuation was in the Starfleet systems, that meant there were two problems in the same section when neither should have effected the other. Logically this could only mean two things, the first was that there had been a catastrophic disaster. That was unlikely, as every other system would also have been damaged. The other option was almost as unthinkable; deliberate sabotage.

'Mr Kim, come with me.' Tuvok instructed, grabbing a phaser from under his console. 'Computer, scan Cargo Bay two.' he instructed.

'Two life forms identified. One Borg, other life form species unknown.'

'Take us there.' The Vulcan said to the turbolift, battling down a wave of concern. 'Tuvok to Captain Janeway.'

'This better be important,' the Captain replied with a laugh in her voice. 'I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet.'

'We have an intruder in cargo bay two. I believe they have already incapacitated Seven of Nine and are currently tapping into our power grid.'

'How?' All humour had left her voice, one thing about the Captain was she knew how to respond to a crisis.

'Unknown, at this time. Also unknown is how they got onboard without our detecting any other ships for the last three days.'

'I'm sending a full security team and going to red alert.'

'Not advisable. However they got onboard it is obvious they have gone to great pains not to be detected. We know where they are at this moment, any warning and they may have the ability to escape before we can confront them.' The turbolift came to a stop and the doors opened. Stepping out Tuvok glanced down the corridor. Fortunately a gold shirt wearing security officer was there. 'Ensign, follow us.'

'Alright Tuvok. I'll keep an eye on the sensors. I'll order red alert as soon as you've got them.' The Captain responded.

Taking up positions around the door Tuvok nodded the the security officer who tapped the access. The door was locked. 'Computer, override cargo bay locking mechanism on my authority. Internal doors only'

'Unable to comply.' it responded. 'A magnetic seal has been engaged.'

'Tuvok to Janeway.'

'I'm already ahead of you.' The Captain replied. 'I can't get a transporter lock in or out, same for comm signals. They've set up some sort of energy field, we've got sensors in there but nothing else.'

'I've got this.' Mr Kim said folding his tricorder up. 'They're using an electromagnetic field, powered by our own servos.' The Ensign pulled open the door control hatch and began removing the isolinear chips.

'Help me.' Tuvok ordered the security officer and pushed at one of the doors. Using all his Vulcan strength he was able to separate them enough to hear what was going on.

Whoever it was inside began ranting while still out of sight. 'Stupid, arrogant, barbaric fools!' They shouted as Tuvok caught a glimpse of someone moving across the bay. 'Temporal sensors? You'd have better luck with a Ouija board. You might as well be using a ship's phaser to carve a roast.' Tuvok realised the intruder was, in fact, talking to him.

'Surrender and step away from the controls.' he ordered

'No.' They barked back. 'I would already be gone if it wasn't for your cack-handed attempts at temporal mechanics. I swear, what do you use for brain surgery? A half blind Klingon warrior with hammer and chisel?'

Tuvok was able to get his arm through, 'Stop!' he ordered again, pointing the phaser through the gap. 'I can not allow you to continue.'

The intruder sighed; 'Primitives. Answer every problem with a phaser. What a surprise.' He was now standing by the Borg alcove controls. Typing something into the system.

'What are you doing?'

'That's better, perhaps next time you could try saying please.' The intruder huffed. 'I'm deactivating your Borg's temporal sensors. They're brutal, inefficient and if you're very unlucky will eradicate three quarters of the galaxy. Otherwise you could just wipe out all life in a solar system.' After a final quick command on the panel the man stepped back.

The Borg controls skittered with interference before disrupting completely. 'There' he said clapping and rubbing his hands together as he turned to face Tuvok. 'That should solve that problem, now I suspect you are going to be my next one.'

End Teaser


	2. Chapter One

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter One

Authors Note:-  
This is a second draft of the story. I've fixed a few spelling mishaps, cleaned up some plot points and fixed a few problems. Can't say I've got them all but it should flow a bit better now.

Kathryn Janeway strode into the brig, barely giving the heavy duty doors time to open. As she entered she was flanked by both Chakotay and Tuvok. The latter, as always, kept his thoughts to himself. He'd report his observations and opinions later, when he had some. Chakotay on the other hand was curious, still guarded but curious.

He was right to be. Everything about the prisoner was a riddle; from how he had gotten onboard her ship to just how he had sabotaged the temporal sensor array. What did he plan on doing? Was sabotaging the sensors the only point, or was there something more sinister planned? Were her crew in danger? She hated riddles, he he seemed wrapped up in them.

He hadn't even given them his name, or told them anything about himself. Worse still there was no clues as to where he had come from, what he wanted or even what his ultimate goals were. He just stood there watching the wall, as if looking at her on any of Kathryn's crew was beneath him.

Pointedly ignoring him for now Kathryn went to the table. 'Is this all he had on him?' she asked Tuvok.

Her Vulcan security officer nodded. There were three silver rings, a pair of archaic tinted eye glasses, six blank metal squares and an ancient style pocket watch. 'They have all been scanned', he told her. 'There are no energy signatures coming from any of them. As far as we can tell they are just what they appear to be.'

Putting down the eye glasses Kathryn, finally, turned to look at the intruder. He stood there, gloved hands behind his back and completely unconcerned. He wore some sort of black uniform with silver branding, Kathryn thought it looked well made, and somehow his outfit reminded her of the robes she wore at her academy graduation. He also had some sort of cloak that he had folded up and put to one side. That had a bit more colour to it, but not much.

'What have you done to Seven?' Kathryn asked him after taking all this in. The former drone hadn't woken, despite the Doctor's care. There wasn't any medical reason, according to the hologram, for her still to be asleep. She simply was and without her Harry wasn't having any luck repairing the damage their guest had done.

Whatever it was wasn't easily fixed, and seemed to be progressive. Every time the Ensign got to a certain point the whole system overloaded again. Purging the program hadn't helped and it would take months for a complete rebuild. Even longer without Seven's help.

The intruder watched her with cold eyes 'Seven? You mean the drone.' He said from the other side of the force field. 'She would have alerted you to my presence. As I told your security chief I had hoped to have finished my work before you found me.' He sounded English, and was apparently speaking it without needing the universal translator. Just one of the many things that didn't add up with him.

'Indeed.' Tuvok agreed stepping up. 'But you did not explain why you were sabotaging the ship, or how you got on board.'

He gave Tuvok a withering look, 'I told you, you wouldn't understand how, as for why; your technology was dangerous. Unimaginably dangerous.' His voice sounded level, but there was a hard edge creeping into his tone that almost made Kathryn step back 'Not anymore though.' He added almost smugly before frowning. 'How did you develop that level of technology anyway?' he asked, finally sounding more curious than smug. 'It should have been generations before you developed anything like that.'

'Seven of Nine developed them for our astrometrics lab.' Kathryn explained, hoping to give him enough rope to hang himself with.

He looked away, frowned, and then began pacing his cramped cell. 'That wasn't Borg technology, they wouldn't need it. They might have stolen the basic idea, but it would need someone with imagination to put it all together.' Spinning on his heel he turned on her. 'Seven of Nine, her original species was human?'

'It was.' Kathryn acknowledged carefully.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and paced his cell again. 'The sprit of humanity. A seething cauldron of creativity, insight and imagination. Some people admire that from you. Personally I can't think of anything more arrogant, let alone dangerous. Borg technology in the hands of humans. That knowledge combined with a lack of foresight and your natural flair for creativity. Recipe for disaster.' His disgust was so bitter Kathryn could practically taste it. 'You should never fool around with science until you know the consequences.'

Seven had said she'd adapted Borg technology, Kathryn remembered. Maybe she should have asked the former drone just what she had meant by "adapted". 'You still insist our sensors were dangerous. How?' she pressed. 'Make it so that we can understand.' She added, remembering his rebuke.

He looked at her for a long moment, obviously thinking about it carefully. Eventually saying; 'Think of it like pumping pressure into a sealed container. Sooner or later the container will explode. Your ham-fisted excuse for sensors poured energy into time itself. If your ship had come across a weak point the... pressures involved would be catastrophic. Whole solar systems could be decimated, if not outright destroyed.'

'The amount of energy used in the temporal sensors is greater than most arrays.' Tuvok pointed out. 'However it is not enough to cause destruction anywhere near what you describe.'

He just sighed 'The time space vortex is a finely balanced blend of forces, each acting against one another. A tiny tilt too far in either direction and the results are devastating.' There was a moment where he closed his eyes and Kathryn almost believed him. 'I couldn't let you do that, even if it cost me my freedom.'

'I'd like to confirm what your telling me,' she admitted, feeling a little shaken. 'Tell us how to undo what you did to Seven, as a sign of trust. After we've looked over your warning we'll talk.'

He seemed to think her suggestion over. 'Agreed, but only I can wake her and I must do it in person. I implanted a telepathic suggestion. Finding it would be almost impossible without certain training, let alone removing it.'

'That is where I believe you are wrong.' Tuvok stepped up. 'Captain, I suggest that I mind meld with Seven of Nine and attempt remove the telepathic command myself.'

'A Vulcan Mind Meld.' The prisoner rolled his eyes. 'Crude. Well I'm not going anywhere. Call me after you have failed.'

Kathryn didn't dignify that with a response. 'Chakotay, stay here and keep an eye on our guest.' With that she turned and left.

* * *

Chakotay watched the Captain leave. After a moment their prisoner sit down on the brig's bunk, finger tips touching. 'Meditation?' Chakotay asked, curiously.

'Meditation is supposed to clear the mind, my mind is always clear. I am merely thinking.' he replied. Index finger tapping a four beat rhythm against it's opposite.

'Thinking about what?' Chakotay asked, trying to ignore the compelling rhythm.

'My home. Where I am right now. And just what forces I am calling down upon myself to traverse the distance.'

That was interesting. 'You're trying to get home? So are we.' The former Marquis said, extending a metaphorical olive branch.

'A lone Earth ship, in this technological backwater. I would never have guessed.' He bit back with savage sarcasm. 'Still I have further to travel than you, or less. Depending on how you look at it.'

The Captain was a good leader, but sometimes her diplomacy was a little heavy handed. Chakotay thought that maybe he could get somewhere with honey where she didn't with vinegar. 'Would you like some food?'

He gave the former Maquis a withering look before rolling his eyes. 'If I must.'

Chakotay nodded to the security guard who left for the replicator next door. 'So, if you're trying to get home what are you doing here?'

'Attempting to explain it to you would be like describing hyperspace theory to an insect. You simply do not have any concept of what is required.'

Bristling at that slightly Chakotay decided to try another track. 'I wouldn't be so sure. You never know, we might be smarter that you think.'

With a theatrical sigh he looked Chakotay dead in the eye and spoke. It wasn't English, or any language the universal translator recognised. It had an almost musical harmony in it, the words rolling from one to the next smoothly. After a few moments he finished and the man smirked. 'Now did you understand any of that?'

'No.' Chakotay admitted, thinking it was rather childish of their guest to revert to an unknown language.

'Of course you didn't. There's no English equivalent, so do you now believe me when I say you won't understand. The closest metaphor I could arrange would be... An event in the fabric of time shunting my travel within my own timeline to here. Although that description hardly does the situation justice. Put simply I am trapped here, without a safe way to puncture the barriers between there is no way for me to get home.'

'A parallel timeline? You mean you're from some alternate future?' Chakotay felt a serge of victory at getting somewhere where the Captain failed.

'No, not future. Somewhere in the past someone, somewhere, did something in your timeline that they did not in mine.'

'So you're some sort of dimensional traveller then?' Chakotay pointed out narrowing things down

The look of disgust and defeat on their guest cut him to the quick. 'If that description makes sense to you it will have to do. I used the last of my ship's energy to transmat aboard your ship.' It was at that point the guard came back with a tray for the prisoner.

Deactivating the force field the prisoner took the tray with an almost polite thank you. Chakotay watched as he picked at the unappealing meal. 'Sorry, as I said we're trying to get home and our supplies are low at the moment.' They'd been worse over the years, but they were still bad. The meal might be bland, but it was food. Finally their guest chose a forkful and ate it.

Only to spit it out half a second later. 'Molecularly Synthesised.' He hissed. 'You can not be serious!'

'Is something wrong?'

'I knew you were backwards, but how can you expect me to eat this? Would you?'

'Of course.'

The answering shudder from the prisoner confused him. 'Backwards, not wilfully stupid. Have you ever stopped and thought about what this technology does?' the man asked incredulously before sighing. 'Of course you haven't. I did hope my opinion of your people would improve after I actually met some of you. A hope I seem to have misplaced.'

Chakotay took a deep breath, the prisoner's attitude was testing his nerves. 'The ships replicators take matter from our storage banks and reconstitute it into usable materials and food.' he told him. Trying not to sound like he was talking to a child.

'And you eat it?' He growled back, putting the tray to one side with obvious disgust. 'By the Eye of Harmony, don't you understand? The atomic bonds aren't natural, they decay all too quickly. He was on his feet, gesturing wildly.

Throwing his arms in the air their guest began muttering in a whole slew of different languages. Chakotay recognised Bajoran, Klingon, Ferengi and even something that sounded remarkably like Vulcan amongst the tirade that the universal translator was never designed to understand. Before he had calmed down the Captain came back.

'What's going on here?' she asked urgently

'Nothing Captain, we're just discussing replicator technology.' The man shuddered. 'I take it your Vulcan crew member has confirmed that only I can remove the suggestion.'

She didn't look happy as she brushed off the implied question. Turning to the guard she said. 'Drop the field.' and then she faced their guest again. 'Alright. We're going to sickbay where our Doctor will monitor just what it is you're going to do. After that we're bringing you straight back here.' Two more gold shirts came in, both carrying phaser rifles. She wasn't taking any chances and wanted the intruder to know that. 'Any questions?'

* * *

Tuvok focussed his mind again and contemplated. Seven of Nine was still unconscious on the bio-bed, at least he had confirmed that it was a psychic suggestion. The intruder's skill was impressive, usually with telepathic commands there was some sort of internal struggle. With the nature of the victim fighting against the imprinted thought. Be it a metaphysical struggle or scenario conjured up by the subconscious.

The usual way to defeat such attacks was to reinforce the victims will, strengthen them from within. That way, no matter the basis for the struggle, they would defeat it. Only here the intruder had somehow transcended the conflict. During his mind meld Tuvok came across several dreams, unconnected memories and a few vague feelings, but no sense of control. External or internal.

It was then the Captain returned with Chakotay and the intruder. They were escorted by two guards, who the intruder practically ignored.

His eyes scanned the sickbay as in one long, slow, look the intruder seemed to categorise and evaluate everything he saw. Then he turned his attention on the people in the room. When he saw the Doctor the intruder paused, something about the hologram obviously unnerved him.

Despite himself Tuvok was almost pleased at his confusion. After his repeated arrogance and dismissals it was pleasing to see something resembling chagrin. That idea quickly soured as the intruder's frown slid into a smirk. 'A hologram, complex one at that, almost fooled me.'

'I am that, yes.' The Doctor answered. 'How could you tell?' It was a good question, one he didn't answer. The intruder just walked past the EMH and stood over Seven of Nine. 'She's still asleep, if that's what your wondering.' The Doctor pointed out after an uncomfortable moment.

The intruder sighed and with a flick of his wrist tapped Seven of Nine on the side of her head.

Nothing happened, at first. Then, without warning, Seven of Nine smacked her lips and rolled to one side. Snoring lightly she brought her legs up, as if finding a more comfortable way to rest. 'It looks to me like she's enjoying it. Give her a couple of minutes, she'll have to wake up in her own time. So are you now going to keep your end of the bargain or do I set up residence in the brig permanently?'

* * *

Kathryn sat down at her desk, taking a mouth full of Neelix's special coffee blend. It was bad, but not as bad as the last batch. 'So, that's all we know about him?'

'So far.' Chakotay nodded. 'Like I said the computer is still having trouble identifying his species.'

'But he knows, and speaks, English fluently without the help of the translator.' She nodded. 'That implies some sort of familiarity.'

'I am more concerned about his reaction to Replicated food.' Tuvok announced 'He claims to have destroyed our sensors because of a perceived threat. What if he sees our replicators in the same light.'

'We're getting ahead of ourselves.' Kathryn stood up and walked around her table. 'We still don't know if he was right about the sensors. If he was then he might have saved us a lot of trouble and it's just his methods we have a problem with.'

'If not?' Chakotay asked

'If we can't prove it, one way or the other, then we'll have to make some sort of arrangement.' She shrugged. 'We can't keep him in the brig forever and we need to know. If he was lying to us I want to know why.' As she outlined her intentions the door opened and Seven marched in. There was a certain snap in her step that spoke volumes.

'Seven, are you alright?' she asked.

'I am undamaged.' She admitted in typical Borg style. 'The experience was, unsettling. However I did not find it entirely distasteful.'

Tuvok gave her an evaluating look. 'Were there any side effects?'

The former drone came close to rolling her eyes, 'Only that the Doctor believes it is yet another important step in my development. I, however, have reservations.'

Taking a moment to think Kathryn looked out her window and into space. The stars elongated by their travel through warp. 'Good,' She nodded, an idea coming to her. 'Seven, the prisoner is in the brig. I promised we would hear him out and I'll need you and Harry to go over his information. Use the astrometric computer, take as long as you need and double check everything. Chakotay, you seem to have developed a rapport with him. I want you with them at first, then stay with him. I need you to find out everything you can.'

'That won't be much. He's as tight lipped as a shell-mouth.'

Kathryn smiled ruthlessly. 'Not a problem I want him so busy avoiding your questions he doesn't have time to think about what Tuvok and I are going to be doing.'

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. 'And that would be?'

She turned around, leaning on the railing as she looked each her staff in the eye, in turn. 'We are three days from the last inhabited planet. There isn't a ship anywhere close to sensor range. We didn't detect any transporter traces from him and I've already had Harry run a full check of hull integrity just in case. Nothing. I don't know about any of you, but I want to know just how the hell he got aboard.'

End Chapter One


	3. Chapter Two

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Two

Authors Note  
This is a second draft of the story. I've fixed a few spelling mishaps, cleaned up some plot points and fixed a few problems. Can't say I've got them all but it should flow a bit better now.

* * *

'So can you explain this to me again?' Harry asked as he cast a quick look at Seven. She still wasn't happy, in a Borg way, with the man in the brig and his answers weren't helping. Not that he could blame her for either. Knocking out a Borg, even with a telepathic "suggestion", was sort of impressive and every time they tried to get an explanation from him he didn't make any sense.

The intruder behind the force field hung his head, almost as if the whole exercise was aggravating him as much as them. Harry just gritted his teeth and endured it. Above all it was his sense of superiority that really got on the Ensign's nerves. When he spoke it was as if he was talking to cadets having trouble with basic warp theory. 'All things in the universe rely on the balance of opposing forces. This is a fundamental fact. The balance between matter and energy, light and dark, past and future. Even the smallest amount of one in the wrong place could tilt that balance. If that happens the results can be catastrophic.'

He took a deep breath. 'Your active sensor array sends directed temporal energy to resonate off whatever you find. Piling more energy into an already unstable point, tipping the forces one way or another. In your ignorance you think that scanning time is like space. It's not, as I have already explained in detail. The more you scan the more energy you tilt the balance with.'

Harry and Seven had spent more than an hour listening to the intruder and his theories. This wasn't the first time he'd tried to suggest that time could somehow be damaged, almost wounded, and that space would be affected by that injury. Harry was fairly sure that was a a metaphor, but couldn't begin to grasp what for. While they were busy questioning him Chakotay just sat back and watched, observing.

He was supposedly looking for some sort of clue as to who the intruder truly was and where he came from. 'Then why haven't the Borg come across this problem?' Seven asked pointedly. 'The Collective has used sensors of this type for more than a hundred years.'

'Sensors of this type?' The man said scornfully. 'You cannibalised knowledge, plundered from peoples scattered across the galaxy. It was human ingenuity that let you blend it together. You had no way of telling what those sensors could do but you still used them.'

'Borg ships have provided enough research.' Seven countered.

'Really, and how many ships have they lost providing that research?'

For a moment Seven looked uncomfortable, before defiantly admitting; 'Almost one hundred and twenty.'

'One hundred and twenty?' the intruder asked incredulously, jumping to his feet. 'Alright, maybe not all of them were caused by your sensor arrays, but I promise you most were. Didn't any member of the Collective stop and ask why?'

'There are no individual members of the collective.' Seven pointed out.

The man behind the force field sighed, and then smirked. 'A Queen, in this timeline the Borg Collective is still controlled by a Queen!' he exclaimed, as if shocked. 'I should have known. In an existence this backwards nothing should surprise me.'

'I do not understand.' Seven admitted.

'Me neither.' Harry said. It wasn't what he was supposed to be asking, but their job was to distract him. Keep him busy while the Captain found out how he got onboard. 'The Borg have always had a Queen. Haven't they?'

Seven nodded so sharply that it seemed to catch the intruder off guard. After a moments thought he seemed to decide on something. 'As you are already free of the Collective, and by extension the Queen, there shouldn't be much harm in revealing this. You've probably guessed by now that no race could have evolved with a single mind like the Borg's. Technological and cultural growth relies on a balance between conflict and co-operation. Without conflict there would not be the necessity of development. Without co-operation there would not be that development. One mind, alone and with no new perspectives to draw on, will nether develop nor grow. This is why you Borg are forced to assimilate information to adapt. As a race you are unable grow on your own merits, so you steal others development.'

Harry had never heard of the Borg described like that. Seven was also taken aback. 'A unique view of the Borg.' she said.

'I have a relatively unique perspective. My point though is just how your Collective came to that. Your former Queen will have erased records, just incase, but a long time ago your Collective was nothing more than a vast library. Housing the collected knowledge of the Borg people. However they were always meant to be individual achievements and developments recorded for the whole.'

Here was some stranger lecturing Seven on Borg history. Harry was just stunned, 'Other races were invited to the collective library,' he continued. 'To provide other perspectives on achieving your so called search of perfection. Then, after a time, the Collective grew to the point where individual minds were lost. Aimlessly the Borg continued, assimilating anything the collective found useful without morals or thought. Simple instinct.'

'How do you know all this?' Harry asked, too shocked to hide it.

The man rolled his eyes. 'They're a major galactic power, in this part of the galaxy at least. The Collective, in one form or another, survives for thousands of years. Research is what my people do.' he said to Harry before turning back to Seven. 'And to finish off the Queen was assimilated. Her mind was, to use your word, unique and now her will dominates the Collective.'

Seven stepped up the the edge of the force field. 'You infer that the Queen was never intended to be part of the Collective. How do your people know this?'

He sighed. 'You have been freed from the Collective, yet you are still Borg.' He said, not answering the question. 'This means you are making your first steps in defeating the Queen. Telling you this might speed up her eventual removal, but that is about it. Learning too much about me, on the other hand, might have you asking questions you shouldn't be.' He seemed to laugh as he glanced to Chakotay.

'Like who you are? What your doing here?' Harry asked point blank, not missing the implications of the look. As he did so the former Maquis left the brig.

The stranger just smirked at his back.

* * *

'He must have left something. An energy signature, a footprint, something to tell us when he got on board.' Kathryn insisted as she jabbed the scroll function on her pad. Taking her all the way back to Voyager's last supply stop. Every reading was easily accounted for by ships functions. Cursing under her breath she stood up from the Captain's chair and looked over to tactical. 'Any luck with the external sensor logs?'

Tuvok tapped again on his console. 'There have been no anomalies detected for several days. As observed earlier it has been a slow week.'

'You got that right.' Paris said from his pilot seat. 'I was going stir crazy.'

'Perhaps, if you would be so kind to refrain from your usual mistaken attempts at humour, Mr Paris, you might give us your report on hull integrity.' Tuvok replied.

Hiding a laugh she raised an eyebrow in her helmsman's direction. 'It's clear.' He laughed. 'The hull is as clean as it was when it came out of space dock. There's no breaches and no new scratches or dents.'

Kathryn sighed and tapped her comm badge 'Janeway to Torres, I'm hoping for some good news.'

'Sorry to disappoint you Captain. I've scanned local space with a teterion beam, if there was any cloaked ships out there we'd know about it. I've also got teams manually checking the main airlocks, cargo bays and shuttle bay. If any have been tampered with we should know soon.'

'Good thinking B'Elanna.' Kathryn congratulated her. Still it didn't change one important fact, that there was no explanation for how their intruder got onboard.

The turbo-lift doors opened and Chakotay stepped out. 'I just overheard an interesting conversation.' He said sardonically.

'Really?'

Chakotay came down and around to her level 'Yes, it was the concise history of the Borg. Our guest just gave a full lecture on the subject, to Seven of Nine.'

'He lectured Seven on the Borg?' Kathryn asked

Her first officer shrugged. 'He even filled in some gaps and predicted the future. Whoever he is he knows a lot more than he should.'

Kathryn threw her arms wide. 'This just gets worse and worse. Get back down there Chakotay and find out just who he is.'

'I don't think that's a good idea Captain. He knows what we're doing.'

That was a shocker. 'How?' She practically shouted.

'He might be an arrogant pain, but I think he has every right to be. There is a look in his eyes Captain, a look that tells me he's every bit as intelligent as he claims to be.'

Something cold settled in Kathryn's gut. 'You think he's a member of the Q continuum?'

Chakotay shook his head. 'No. No Q would ever let themselves be captured and imprisoned like that. Still something tells me as much as he complains, for the moment, he is exactly where he wants to be.'

'What do you suggest we do about that?' she put her hands on her hips.

Chakotay frowned for a moment, 'Our friend seems to only tell us what he wants to and only after we tell him something.'

'Like what?' she asked dangerously, if he was learning more about them than they were about him...

Her second in command was already thinking on the same lines 'He already knows what your doing here. I don't know how or what he's going to do about it but we have to face facts here, we might have him in the Brig, but he's the one in charge. For now at least.'

Kathryn glanced to Tuvok, his raised eyebrow told her he agreed. If there was anything she hated more than an unsolved puzzle it was loosing control. Right now she was faced with both. 'Get back down there and see what our guest is willing to share with us.' she ordered Chakotay, all be it reluctantly.

* * *

Ensign Vorik opened the shuttle bay doors. The door panel had told him it was secure, but Lieutenant Torres had told him to personally inspect the bay. Inside there wasn't anything amiss. The right number of shuttles in the right places. The Delta Flyer was still mounted over the gantry, awaiting the right components to be replicated after it's latest misadventure. Something that would take a while given the current supplies on ship. Even Neelix's transport, stored to one side incase of emergency, was intact.

Quite automatically the Vulcan closed a free standing tool cabinet that stood alone, near the door, before forgetting all about it and having a look at the main console. As he walked away he completely missed the metallic click and hum that came from the lone cabinet.

* * *

Seven inputted the data into the astrometrics computer, but she only did so absently. What her attacker had said kept distracting her. There were gaps in the Borg's history, any information more than eight hundred years old was so fragmented it could be described as non existent. A lot more was out right missing, without any reason she could discern. Taking that into account what he had said sounded plausible, incredibly there was no real evidence to refute it. Unfortunately nether was there proof.

There wasn't a record anywhere that helped corroborate his claim, even if slightly. At one point The Queen herself admitted to being from species one-two-five. At the time Seven had thought it strange that she was not from the first race, but events moved on before she had time to consider the implications. Now she was having difficulty focusing on anything else.

'Seven, are you okay?' Ensign Kim asked, distracting her from her contemplation.

'I am, distracted.' she admitted before turning her attention to the problem at hand. 'Have you confirmed the information we were given?'

He nodded 'Yes, well what I could. I think it's time we ran it through a simulation.'

Putting her thoughts about the Collective aside Seven typed in a few more commands and looked up at the screen. Lines of calculations played across her monitor. For a moment she thought she saw something, a harmony that defied the complexity of the universe. Then, blinking, it vanished. Becoming random and unpredictable. Shaking off the unfamiliar sensation she nodded 'Agreed. Starting first simulation.'

They loaded the new data into an available perimeters file and began. On the screen a representation of Voyager played out its scenario. It flew towards an anomaly. As it did so the simulations report appeared next to it.

In typical, inefficient, Starfleet style Ensign Kim read out the text. 'Passive sensors have detected the anomaly. Voyager is changing course to investigate.'

The representation tiled slightly to show this. Seven, while not seeing any need for it, picked up where the Ensign left off. 'Voyager is now slowing to sub-light speeds and taking up position for active scan.'

'Anomaly unchanged.' The Ensign reported.

'Temporal sensor array powered up, beginning active scan.'

Ensign Kim activated a close up view of the simulated anomaly. 'No change.' Seven spared it a look and saw something. So did the Ensign. 'Hang on, some...' the screen flashed and the simulation ended.

Seven quickly brought up the last moment. 'An instability in the anomaly's temporal matrix interacted with the modulation of the active sensor array. The result caused a temporal wave storm that effected everything within twenty light minutes.' Looking at the data Seven realised that what had ended the simulation wasn't the destruction of Voyager, but a overload in the computer. There had been too much contradicting information for the processor to accept, forcing an end to the simulation.

Ensign Kim jumped up behind her, checking the readings for himself. 'That was only a class three anomaly!' he exclaimed. 'Barely the size of a shuttle.'

Seven tapped a few more commands and got the predicted damage. Everything within twenty light minutes was totally destroyed. Gravitational and spacial readings were both unknown and off the chart. That was before the system overloaded. 'Ensign Kim, save the results of this test and run three more.' She picked up a pad and transferred the readings to it. 'I will inform the Captain. Do not forget these reading are based on his figures. This may all be a deception.'

'They looked right, a little complex but they worked didn't they?'

Seven fought back a reaction. Emotional outbursts on par with the Ensign's wouldn't help. 'That's why you will continue running tests. I will look for errors in his figures.' Seven ordered and left the lab.

As she did Seven read off the pad. As impressive as the results were there was a problem. Without a precedent all the simulation could do was guess. Getting into a turbo-lift Seven decided to get one last input before reporting to the Captain. It would give the Ensign a chance to run more simulations and give her a more complete picture.

Arriving on the correct deck she made straight to the brig. Inside she found Commander Chakotay there, questioning her attacker. 'So you say you're from an alternate timeline, how can you know so much about the Borg?'

He sighed almost theatrically, while pulling his gauntlets tighter. 'Certain events in time happen no matter where you are. When and how can change, but these events must happen.'

'Otherwise?'

'We wouldn't be here, in this situation.' He said with another smirk. It appeared to be his usual expression.

'I need to talk to you.' Seven interrupted.

'Finished your simulations?' He asked with a faint chuckle.

'Indeed.' She pulled up the pad. 'The results were...'

'You tore a hole in time and space.' He finished for her in an almost bored tone. putting his hands behind his back he absently began pacing. 'The computer blew a circuit and the simulation crashed. You came here because you have no idea what the results you did get mean.' he chuckled. 'Your understanding of the universe is so limited trying to explain what happens would be like describing the smell of the colour blue. To a colour blind Horta.' He sighed. 'You simply do not have the ability to understand.'

'Then, perhaps you can summarise. For a report I am preparing for the Captain.'

'Anomalies like that are weak points in the fabric of time and space. Ripping it apart releases massive amounts of energy, at first. After that something similar to a black hole would re-absorb the energy and anything else nearby. Space would be unstable for decades, taking time to heal.' He shrugged.

'Now I think it's your turn Commander. What is your ship doing in this part of the Galaxy?'

Commander Chakotay winced. 'We were brought here, against our will, by a sporocystian life form called the Caretaker. It was dying and looking for some way to procreate.'

'With what, your furniture?' He said sarcastically. 'By sporocystian you mean an intelligent fungus. There is nothing of that order of life in this, or any other, section of the galaxy. He would have had more chance with cloning himself.' He stopped and frowned. 'Why didn't he just return home?'

'Ah, you have to answer my question now.' Chakotay smirked and then frowned. 'You won't tell me what you are or where you're from because you think we're not ready for it. But can you tell us your name?'

'No, I can't. There is power in a name, knowing mine gives you a measure of power over me.' Seven frowned, she knew of this superstition from various primitive cultures the the Borg had assimilated. Hearing it from what was obviously a well informed member of an advanced race was strange. Either his culture was still primitive while his scientific knowledge had advanced, or there was something more to it. 'Although, for the sake of argument, you can call me... The Scholar.'

'The Scholar?' Seven said aloud a fraction of a second before Commander Chakotay.

'For lack of a better description.' he clarified

'How about Intruder? Attacker? Visitor? I don't know, Guest?' Commander Chakotay suggested.

'Scholar is not a name. It is an occupation.' Seven pointed out.

'An occupation that, despite the other activities you've listed Commander, is constant. Rather than required by the situation.' he smiled, for the first time without sarcasm. 'My question?'

'He called himself a Caretaker, like you...' The Commander answered as Seven realised she'd been drawn into the conversation. Ensign Kim had, by now, enough time to run at least two more simulations. As Commander Chakotay explained the Ocampa and the damage done to their planet when the Caretakers people first arrived.

As she left Seven saw the now familiar look of total despair on her attackers face as he learnt just what had happened. If his sense of superiority was in anyway justified repairing that damage would be easy for him.

* * *

Kathryn looked over Tuvok's shoulder and held her breath, resisting the urge to grind her teeth. Still nothing, B'Elanna had also reported in. Nothing from her search teams either.

She should be down there with Chakotay, interrogating the intruder. Kathryn felt more than useless, standing around going over the same impossible results over and over again. She was about to tell Tuvok as much when the turbo-lift doors opened to let Seven stride onto the bridge. 'I have completed the simulation, using the figures given to us.' The former drone handed over a pad. 'According to the results were we to activate a dedicated temporal scan on any anomaly greater than class three the resulting wave of destruction could destroy a solar system.'

'Class three?' Kathryn frowned. 'We haven't come across anything near that level in years.'

'True, but as the effects were practically instantaneous it is reasonable to assume that using a full scan on any anomaly will have an effect.' Seven said with typical Borg efficiency. Kathryn looked down at the pad.

It showed the simulation, it didn't take much more than a glance to see a problem. 'What happened to the rest of the results?' There was only a fraction of the data she had expected. What there was didn't make any sense to her.

'The astrometric computer was never designed to interpret this sort of information.' Seven explained. 'The resulting calculations were exponential.' Kathryn looked at the pad again.

She was a scientist in training, if not in profession anymore. She knew how to read results, but what she was presented with had her stumped. 'Are you telling me these few results aren't from some sort of corruption. This is impossible, it would have to brake almost every law of physics.'

Seven nodded. 'I have left Ensign Kim to confirm the readings with further simulations.'

'Lets get down there.' Kathryn said. 'I want to see this for myself.'

End Chapter Two


	4. Chapter Three

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Three

Authors Note  
This is a second draft of the story. I've fixed a few spelling mishaps, cleaned up some plot points and fixed a few problems. Can't say I've got them all but it should flow a bit better now.

* * *

Commander Tuvok watched the screen as it showed the small anomaly shrink for a moment before detonating in a blinding white blast and then the simulation failed. Seven of Nine deactivated the display and went back to her seat.

They were in the briefing room, going over everything they knew about the intruder, when the former drone had presented her report. From all appearances the intruders warning seemed genuine. 'What happened?' Mr Paris asked in a stunned voice.

It was Mr Kim that answered. 'The explosion was so massive that not even the astrometric computer could calculate it. We'd need access to the main computer at Starfleet Headquarters to get any further.'

'Even with Borg enhancements?' Tuvok asked, knowing full well that Seven of Nine had enhanced the system beyond those found in Starfleet's more advanced science vessels.

'The Borg have never come across anything like the knowledge required for this calculation.' Seven of Nine said with what Tuvok would have described as reluctance. 'It transcends the laws of physics, as we understand them.'

'That explains why so many cubes have been lost.' Commander Chakotay reasoned. 'They just couldn't comprehend what was happening to them. All those millions of drones lost because of a lack of imagination.'

Tuvok looked to the Captain and she looked back. Commander Chakotay, with the help of their intruder, had just exposed a serious flaw in the Borg's collective psyche. They didn't learn from experience, but from assimilation. Imagination, raw creativity and spur of the moment insights were key to defeating them. Three aspects that humanity prided itself on. 'I think that is something we should bare in mind for later.' The Captain said before turning to Mr Kim. 'What else did you learn from your analysis of the figures he gave us?'

'Not much.' The Ensign admitted. 'They might not appear complex but the underlying math doesn't fit with what we know about the universe.'

'So he was lying to us.' Lieutenant Torres said triumphantly.

Ensign Kim shook his head. 'No, it actually revolutionises our own understanding. With it I was able to calculate a more accurate model for galactic expansion.'

'And I have already factored the equation into our galactic charts.' Seven of Nine announced. 'Reducing our journey by another four months.'

'Impressive.' The Captain said, sitting back. 'Commander, anything to add?'

Commander Chakotay stood up and walked over to the display. A few commands later the screen brought up an image from the brig. The intruder was sat in his cell, it appeared to Tuvok that he was in deep meditation. 'According to what he's told me his people are ancient, that they unravelled the secrets of time before Earth was formed.'

'Then why haven't we heard of them before?' Mr Paris asked.

'The same reason he can't just go home. He claims to be trapped here by accident. As far as I can grasp from his explanation, somewhere in the distant past his timeline and ours forked. We went one way, his went the other.'

'A different quantum dimension?'

'That's not what he called it, but yes. At least I think that's what he meant.' the Commander said. 'Apparently he believes his people only exist in his own timeline, while there are hundreds maybe thousands of possible versions of ourselves there is only one of him, ever.' Tuvok was about to point out that that was blatantly impossible when Ensign Kim said;

'Then what's he doing here. I mean if he's only able to exist in his own dimension how did he get here?'

The Commander looked helplessly at the Ensign. 'It's beyond me. He said is vessel was caught in a "Time Storm" that bounced him here. Don't ask me what a Time Storm is, do you have any idea Seven?'

The former drone frowned. 'Not that I know of, but his terminology is strange. Perhaps we would know the phenomena by a different name.'

'I cannot think of any encountered phenomena that could cause such an effect.' Tuvok supplied.

'However he got here he can't leave.' Commander Chakotay pointed out. 'His ship is in tune with a central power core on his homeworld. Somehow being outside his own dimension means he hasn't access to that power.'

'So that's what he was doing, hoping to syphon off power from our warp core to get home.' Lieutenant Torres pointed out

'Not according to him. Our engines don't have the power to transport him. Instead he was hoping to use Voyager's technology to get a distress beacon away.'

'What sort of distress beacon?'

'He wouldn't say.'

The Captain seemed to think about this for a moment before she walked around the table, 'So, he's lost, infinitely far from home due to an accident, like ourselves. He finds us and sees a way to get home, but when he saw our temporal sensors he knew he couldn't leave them like that so he sabotaged them. Alerting us to what he was doing. Does that just about sum up what he's telling us?'

Commander Chakotay nodded, 'He's also proven that he might be right. About our sensors at least.'

'Agreed.' the Captain nodded. 'The question though is why, if he is from an alternate reality why would he risk himself. There is no possible way for the explosion to effect his reality. So what does he get from revealing himself?'

'Our co-operation?' Mr Paris suggested.

'He's not got that.' The Commander pointed out. 'But he's still more than willing to just sit there. There must be something we're missing.'

It was then the Doctor said; 'The damage that could have been done would have killed billions. What if he was trying to save lives?'

'Why would he care though?' Lieutenant Torres asked. 'This isn't his dimension, whatever happens here can't effect him or his people. He could have just left. There's got to be more to it than what he says.'

'A life is a life.' the Doctor pointed out.

'We can't expect him to have the same values we do.' Ensign Kim said.

It was Commander Chakotay that came to the intruders aid this time. 'Why not? I've spent some time with him; he might be arrogant, condescending and have a superiority complex that could put Q to shame, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care.'

'Compassion is a constant across the galaxy.' The Doctor pointed out. 'Most civilised races practice it, why can't his?'

* * *

Kathryn entered the brig, just in front of Tuvok, B'Elanna and Chakotay. The prisoner, or Scholar as he wanted to be called, was sat there calmly waiting patiently. 'No more games.' Kathryn said before the doors had closed behind her. 'So far you've drip fed me and my crew information, but now it's time for answers and don't try to evade the questions this time. I want to know how you got on my ship and just what you plan to do now that we have you in here.'

'Or?' he asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Or you can tell Starfleet just as soon as we get back to Earth, and spend the trip in here. Your choice.'

'My dear Captain, your negotiation skills are, shall we say, overly blunt.' he sighed. 'Very well, I arrived on this ship using direct mass transfer, transposing the co-ordinates of my vessel and yours, I then activated its chameleon circuit and found the nearest computer terminal. Which, after some gentle coaxing, showed me the systems I would need. Namely your sensors, warp power and deflector dish array. There I found out about your ham fisted attempts in temporal detection and did something about it.' Calmly he pulled out the six metal cards that had been returned to him. and began arranging them on the floor of his cell.

She looked to Tuvok who had just let a eyebrow raise questioningly. 'This is, in your terms, a distress beacon.' the intruder continued. 'I don't have the power or range to send it myself directly and this is all I want to do. With the help of your ship it would be a simple matter, without I am trapped. Regardless of prison walls and your wishes.'

He stood up and stared her down. 'As you seemed to have honoured our last agreement I will make you a noter on. I will, using my advanced knowledge, build an improved temporal sensor to replace the one I disabled. In return you allow me access to the systems I need. Agreed?'

* * *

Seven watched as the simulation repeated. The intruder that still refused to answer to anything other than the title of Scholar was inspecting an operations console rather than the main astrometric screen. 'I require your input.' She said, reminding him.

'No you don't.' He said flexing his fingers and shuddering. 'Synthesised.' He said with a profound level of discontent before turning on the Captain. 'Is there a planet nearby that we can procure new materials from?'

'No,' she said with a tone Seven had come to recognise as restrained. She, Commander Tuvok and three other security officers were in the Astrometrics Lab with Seven and the Scholar. The Captain had agreed to his terms, however reluctantly, and now he was supposedly helping. 'We can replicate anything you require.'

He sighed and began typing on the LCARS screen. 'Replication, is there anything you don't use it for?'

'Perhaps if you were to explain your reasoning we would be able to accommodate you.' Commander Tuvok suggested.

Seven hid a small internal smile when the Scholar attempted to access the ship's schematics and found that she had limited his access with Borg security algorithms. 'You do not require access to that information.' She told him smugly. While the Captain had quietly ordered her to do it Seven was pleased that she had inconvenienced him. 'Do you have any suggestions on how to modify...'

'No.' he interrupted, 'Your approach is all wrong.' Seven watched in chagrin as he effortlessly bypassed the lock out. 'The anomaly's part of the problem, not just your sensors.' He studied the ships plans for a moment. 'I'm going to have to build a completely new system. Do you have a quartermaster, or has your reliance on matter synthesis eliminated the position?'

The Captain frowned for a moment. 'The best person to speak to about that would be Mr Neelix. I'll have Lieutenant Torres, my chief engineer, meet us in the mess hall. Once there you can explain what you have in mind.' She shot Seven what she assumed to be a dark look. 'Away from our systems.'

Seven didn't bother trying to hide what she was doing as she shut down the Operations Station. The Captain stepped to one side and the Scholar, smirking slightly, left, one guard in the lead and the other two flanking him. Seven and the Captain followed with Commander Tuvok behind them

Seven was aware of several crew members watching the prisoner being escorted. Many of them had insufficient information to understand the meaning of what was happening. Others, while aware of the intruder, had yet to see him. They appeared fascinated by his outfit. Seven took a moment to examine what he was wearing. The long robe with high collar was impractical, but obviously ceremonial. It was, however, inconsistent with the far more practical dress beneath. Now though she had the time to inspect the ceremonial cloak Seven had to admit to a certain admiration.

In the Mess Hall Neelix was cleaning up after the afternoon meal. There were several officers still there. They were either coming off duty from the morning shift or were to come on duty later that night. 'A Talaxian?' The Scholar said incredulously. 'He's your ship's... cook?'

'Mr Neelix, and he's a lot more than our cook.'

He blinked and then smirked. 'Talaxians only have around fifty functioning taste buds.' Seven frowned at this; it explained Neelix's exotic menus, lack of complimentary flavours and often disconcerting combinations of textures.

'This must be the guest I've heard so much about.' The chef said with a welcoming smile. 'Hello, I'm Neelix.'

'You don't have any food that is not... Replicated, do you?' His disgust with the last word was almost palatable.

Neelix took a few steps back, obviously flustered. 'I have a salad made from the plants in the hydroponics lab.' he said apprehensively. 'And some fruits we got from our last stop at the trading base.'

'If it is not an inconvenience. would you be able to arrange some?' The Scholar said with what approached civility as he found a seat. As Neelix left he turned to the Captain, 'He has a distinct lack of human arrogance.'

'How are you aware of Talaxian taste buds?' Seven asked him. It was an extremely trivial piece of information to possess.

He didn't answer, instead he just smiled and looked out of the window into space.

* * *

Naomi Wildman crept into the Mess Hall and saw him. As soon as she over heard that some stranger had come aboard and hurt her friend, Seven, she knew she had to keep an eye on him. After all it was her duty as Captain's Aide to report everything about new guests to her. Especially if one of those guests was dangerous.

Anyway, she was curious.

When she saw that he was sat with the Captain and Seven Naomi thought she'd have to come up with a new excuse, but then she remembered that the Captain wouldn't be able to spend all her time watching him and it was best to get some practice in early.

Trying not to be noticed she found a seat behind them and listened, almost straining her ears. 'How do you know so much about this timeline, if you are not from it?' Tuvok asked.

He sat back 'Psychohistory. Otherwise known as the pattern of history. Imagine the future as a predictive series of events, All you have to do is study how people react to the past to see how they might do later. By studying social changes across the galaxy over aeons it is possible to predict them in the future.'

The Captain took a deep breath, 'People learn from their mistakes.' she said.

'True, some take a bit longer than others but they do learn. The problem is groups don't. Groups are nothing more than mobs, and mobs are always lead by the dumbest member.'

The stranger laughed lightly, but Naomi felt a chill shiver down her back. 'You are aware, of course, that certain things are "Old Stories". The new is always feared and people find comfort in the past. War is a constant, as is the hope of peace. The larger is always the more belligerent. Once you have seen it enough times it becomes predictable.'

'By studying our history you can predict the future. A fascinating hypothesis.' Commander Tuvok sounded distant, like he was busy thinking about it.

'Indeed.' Seven agreed with the Vulcan.

'I don't buy it' The Captain said as Neelix came to their table with a tray of food and drink. 'I'm in charge of my own destiny. You can't change that.'

Naomi was watching their reflections in the window so she saw his smile. He was like a teacher, treating everyone, including the Captain, like a kid.

If anything the shiver got colder. 'No, I can't.' he said in that strange accent of his. 'Then again you're one person, psychohistory deals with groups. The movement and shift of people's attitude en mass. Social attitudes and goals. For example, as your Federation expands it will encounter larger and older empires. Some will be fast allies, others opponents. War is in such a case is inevitable, followed by bigger and more violent wars. After each will come a time of mourning. Eventually your people will become introspective, seeing the price of exploration as too steep.

'After several centuries other forces such as over population and resources will become a factor.' he continued. 'Then, of course, people will talk. Say how it was so much better in their grandfathers time. They will look back instead of forward. By then expansion will be a matter of necessity, rather than exploration. More people need more land and resources. Another old story.' He chuckled. 'Eventually, with an empire like this, the result is most likely internal pressures. Rebellions, independent groups springing up from within. Your Federation will end up sacrificing it's own ideas to keep whole. It's then everything you have ever worked for and towards will be rendered mute.'

Naomi hissed, he was wrong, that had already happened. The Maquis, Naomi's mind started racing, what if it had already happened? What if Voyager was trying to get back to a home that wasn't there anymore and they were last of the Federation, no matter where they were? 'Logical.' Tuvok said, filling in the silence. 'Eminently Logical.'

Neelix looked ill as he sat down, next to them. 'Is there something we can do?'

'Live your life to the full.' The stranger said simply, calmly eating his leaves. 'You might have an impact; a negligible, insignificant impact, but an impact never the less. In all honesty you might as well attempt to stop an avalanche. Once history's got a momentum it takes a great deal of effort to change it.'

Naomi shuddered. This was bad.

End Chapter Three

Authors note:-

I've basically stolen psychohistory from Azimov's Foundation books. My reason why is quite simple, the Federation is mortally flawed for exactly the same reason I've had the Scholar explain.

In Kirk's time it was driven by discovery and wonder. By the fourth season of TNG we had the battle of wolf 359. After that blow the Federation began developing warships like the Akria and Defiant Class. Then came the Dominion War in DS9, and what amounts to a civil war in the temporal cold war described in Enterprise. The fact is that the Federation probably won't last much past the 30th century. Psychohistory is literally history repeating itself in the future, the foundation stone of Science fiction (if you forgive the pun).

If you haven't read it I suggest you track down Azimov's original trilogy, "Foundation", "Foundation and Empire" and "Second Foundation" It's worth the read.

Another thing that is worth a read is The Federation Falls. Written by Fanfiction author "mad eye harry". have a look if you've got a moment, it explores the idea of a collapsing Federation and It really does ask some interesting questions about where the franchise would have been heading if they hadn't chickened out and tried the 2009 movie.


	5. Chapter Four

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Four

Authors note  
One of the big problems writing this chapter was the shear ignorance of the Voyager crew. You see while they were away the Alpha Quadrant was embroiled in the Dominion War.

That war changed the Alpha Quadrant drastically:- The Romulan's became more involved with galactic politics. The Klingon empire became more militant at the expense of it's honour, until a coup deposed the corrupt high chancellor leaving the empires future in doubt. The Ferengi ushered in a new era of social growth after an environmental disaster forced them to adopt a code of ethics in business. The Cardassian Union suffered defeat after defeat culminating in a disastrous alliance with the Dominion that left more than eight hundred million men, women and children dead on their homeworld alone, effectively destroying their centuries old civilisation in seven short years. The Bajoran people, after throwing of the yoke of Cardassian oppression, quickly became a centre for commerce and discovery, throwing them into the galactic arena as a major player. Finally the Federation, besieged by devastating attacks from Dominion, Klingon, Breen and Borg forces, mobilised a military force, for the first time in it's history building ships dedicated for war.

That's a hell of a lot of development and part of the reason Deep Space Nine was a far FAR better show. The other reasons being that it was competently written, directed and produced. Unlike Voyager and Enterprise. Anyway if I could trot out these facts for the Voyager crew to mull over The Scholar's observations at the end of the last chapter would be in escapable. As it is their blissful ignorance, which I'm trying to chip away at with this story, is proving to be harder than diamond. As usual my attempts at making a point seem to bounce of the invincible walls of stupidity.

As such it's taken a while for me to plan my attack on this blithering idiocy and that's why it's taken so long to get this chapter out.

This is also a second draft of the story. I've fixed a few spelling mishaps, cleaned up some plot points and fixed a few problems. Can't say I've got them all but it should flow a bit better now.

* * *

Kathryn waited for the tubolift doors to open, it had been an uncomfortable ride as the two of them stood in silence. Shortly after the Scholar's prediction she and Seven were called to the bridge. If the Captain was honest it was a relief. She didn't believe what the strange alien had told her, but there was something in his attitude. Something she couldn't ignore.

To compound the issue, for the past few months she had been reading the reports of a terrible war. Thanks to the Hirogen's network of arrays they'd been able to get a full update on what was happening back home. The news hadn't been good. The Federation and Klingons were at war with a powerful new enemy, known as the Dominion. Between them they had almost devastated the Alpha Quadrant. She was almost glad for being marooned half a galaxy away. With that, the Maquis, the wars with the Cardassian's and the random Borg attacks it wasn't looking good.

With this sort of knowledge the Scholar's words rang all too true. Shaking her attention back to the present she strode onto the bridge. 'You called, Chakotay?'

Her first officer stood up from her seat. 'We're not sure, Harry?'

'Sorry Captain, we detected something strange.' the Ensign said, bringing up his readings on the main screen. It showed a strange waveform that looked somewhat like the wake of a ship at sea. 'It's a massive distortion in transwarp space, but I can't isolate the readings.'

Kathryn frowned before glancing at Seven. The former drone went to her science station. 'Transwarp wake confirmed, it's a large body moving at high warp speeds.'

Chakotay looked around. 'What could cause that sort of disruption?'

'Size, any object of significant size could produce disruptions like this.' Seven announced from her science station. Then something happened on the view screen, the readings quickly changed 'The readings are fluctuating. Confirmed, it's dropping out of Transwarp. Its a…' The Borg Drone's voice faltered and Kathryn could have sworn she paled. 'It's a Borg Tactical Cube. Now approaching our position at Warp nine point nine eight...'

'Mr Paris…' the Captain began so say, but her helmsman didn't let her finish.

'Maximum warp, Any course. Yes sir.'

Nodding she slapped her Comm badge. 'Red alert, all hands to battle stations. Mr Tuvok bring our guest to the bridge.' Kathryn said as she dropped down and around to her chair. Chakotay siting down beside her.

Seven brought up the tactical cube on the main screen. It was massive, even bigger than a regular cube. More than that it appeared to have large sections of added hull plates. Layers and layers of armour and extra weapons meant that you didn't need much of an imagination to know just how dangerous this ship was. 'Seven, options?'

'None Captain. The class four Tactical Cube was designed for total annihilation of any resistance. Assimilation is not one of it's directives. The Tactical Cube has multiple redundant subsystems. As such it is possible for it to function at acceptable levels with more than seventy eight percent irreparable structural damage. With a full complement of drones it's ability to self repair is unparalleled. It also has advanced and independent adaptive capabilities, rendering any tactic we could adopt useless.' Seven rattled off the schematics in a dangerous voice. She was worried, most people wouldn't be able to tell but Kathryn knew her too well.

'Weapons?' she asked carefully, not sure she wanted the answer.

Seven swallowed, a bad sign in itself. 'Sixteen multi-targeting pulse arrays, twelve plasma torpedo lunchers, eight focused proton cutting beams, twelve tractor beam projectors and multi-phasic regenerative shields.'

Mr Paris let out a long slow whistle. 'When the Borg want to get your attention they don't mess around.'

The tubolift doors opened again and Tuvok entered along with the intruder. Kathryn faced the Scholar, 'Is this your doing? A transmission, a beacon of some sort bringing them here?'

He casually glanced at the main screen before he gave her a look somewhere between pity and contempt. 'No.'

'How else could they have found us?' Harry accused.

Tuvok answered as he took his position at Tactical. 'It is possible that the Borg detected our sub-space wake front and they predicted our course.'

Kathryn frowned, it was possible. They were following the optimal course back home. All the Queen would need was a dedicated science vessel and the cube stationed at a Transwarp hub. It was a stretch, but it was possible.

Over the years they had been a thorn in the Queen's side, exposing serious flaws in the collective. Kathryn learnt that her enemy wasn't above petty revenge a long ago. She looked around at her bridge crew. 'It doesn't matter how they found us, they did. It looks like our sins against the Borg have caught up with us. Any suggestions?'

'It is obvious the Queen does not intend to take us alive.' Seven pointed out. 'I suggest we attempt to find a suitable planet in range and launch escape pods. Once we are destroyed there is a slim chance that the crew may be considered insignificant.'

'Sacrifice the bridge crew and any hope of the survivors returning home?' Kathryn wasn't surprised that the former drone didn't have another options. From her attitude she thought they were already dead. 'Thank you, but I think we'll try something that doesn't involve suicide. Any other suggestions?'

''There are no other options.' Seven insisted. 'If we are to stand any chance of saving the crew we have to act now.'

Given the size and speed of the Cube following them Kathryn was tempted to agree, but she hadn't survived almost six years in the Delta quadrant by accepting no win scenarios. They didn't have much of a choice though. Voyager didn't stand a chance against the massive Cube and everyone knew it.

The Scholar coughed. 'May I suggest another course of action?'

'You have an idea?' Kathryn turned on him.

'Several, none involve suicide or abandoning this ship.' He walked past Kathryn and leaned over Paris's shoulder. It took her a moment to realise he was, in fact, studying the navigation screen. 'The system we're approaching has an outer asteroid belt, make your course there. And quickly please, time is of the essence.''

'We're going to hide in asteroids? They'll find us in no time!' Mr Paris told him.

'We want them to look for us in the asteroids. Don't worry, we won't be there long.' The Scholar looked grim. 'I am going to need the help of Mr Kim, Lieutenant Torres and some components from my TARDIS.'

'Your what?' Harry asked in shock.

'My ship. It's in your shuttle bay.'

* * *

B'Elanna caught up with Tuvok and Ensign Kim as they came around the corridor leading to the shuttle bay. 'Okay, where is he?' She asked

'He dashed on ahead.' Harry admitted. 'We hoped to catch up with him in the bay.'

She looked to Tuvok who had a set to his face she'd come to recognise as about as close he could come to loosing his temper. 'I was unaware the had that sort of speed.' He told her as they walked through the Bay doors . Inside the hanger was empty, only a free standing tool kit and the two craft took up any space, just like Vorik had said.

"Okay, where'd he go?' she asked, frowning.

Tuvok quickly flicked open his tricorder and began scanning. 'I detect no transporter or energy traces. It was impossible for anyone to open and close the bay doors in the time it took us to enter.'

'Then you're saying he just vanished into thin air?' B'Elanna asked. 'The same way he got here?'

'I don't think so believe so.' Harry said looking around. 'If he wanted he could have got out of here as soon as we let him out of the brig.'

'There is the imminent threat of a Borg Tactical Cube to consider.' Tuvok pointed out. 'I suspect that would be a persuasive incentive.'

'So gratifying to see your opinion of me Mr Tuvok.' The Scholar announced and the engineer blinked. It was as if he had materialised beside her. In the blink of an eye he had simply appeared, carrying what looked like some sort of console.

It looked like it had come straight from one of Tom's holodeck programs; primitive switches and leavers covered the surface, but there were no monitors or read outs. 'Where did you go?' Harry asked, looking for all the world like someone had hit him with a phaser on stun.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. 'My ship, this is my dimensional console. With it I can save yours.' The Scholar hefted the controls and walked out of the bay. B'Elanna looked around, there was only one explanation, his ship was cloaked. The slight nod Tuvok gave her told B'Elanna he'd seen the same thing.

They didn't have time to blindly wave their hands around feeling around for the ship. Now that they knew where to look it would be easy. What they had to do right now was follow him.

'What is that supposed to do?' Harry asked,

'I need to install the console into your power distribution system.' The Scholar ordered. 'It's not the most elegant solution but I guess it will have to do.' The group of them took a turbo lift straight to engineering

'Install the console? Why, what can you do with it?' Harry asked as they dashed out of the turbo lift and down the corridor.

'It would take too long to explain. You still think Space is defined by distance and Time by it's passing. To put it bluntly I find it impossible to imagine an existence so limited. The universe is so much more, until you grow up and understand that any accurate explanation would be wasted.'

B'Elanna shared a look with Harry and the Commander, if the Scholar wanted to be cryptic they'd let him. For now. A few moments later they were in Engineering and the Scholar handed over his console. 'As I said, attach this to your primary power grid.'

'Is it compatible?'

'Not even close, but this is the beating heart of the ship.' He pointed at the warp core. 'The power conduits it's blood. From here it can connect directly to every section of Voyager and that's what is needed.' He quickly scanned the room with his eyes and moved to the warp field monitoring console. 'Let us hope you were correct commander. If the Borg did track this ships warp field I can give them any number of false leads."

B'Elanna watched the stranger, bristling at the idea of him playing about with her engines, then it dawned on her just what he was suggesting. Tuvok, of course, was about one step ahead of her and seemed sceptical. 'Changing our warp trail would not accomplish anything.' He told the Scholar. 'The Cube would simply have to scan where our trail ends to detect the new frequency.'

'Of course, but as always you miss the point. I'm not going to give them a single new frequency, but four. Seeming you are here Commander you can help. I'll need three probes to imprint our fake warp fields onto.'

B'Elanna let herself smile. It was a good plan, with four warp trails to track the Borg would have trouble deciding which one was the right path. Then again, if he thought that was going to work what was the point of the console?

She asked him about it and he smiled. 'Exactly what we want them to think. Now prise that panel off and hook my system up.'

* * *

Harry struggled with the strange console, trying to understand just how it worked. It was straight from Captain Proton and he knew just how temperamental those sort of controls could be. Without a monitor they could do anything from activate self destruct to make popcorn.

Torres got down and opened the hatch to the isolinear control chips 'Any thoughts?' he asked her, finding a pair of cables coming from the console and showing one to her.

The Engineer frowned. 'No, I mean what are we going to do with copper wiring?' She took it from him hand held it next to the bank of chips. Before their eyes the copper wire shimmered and the contacts changed. Impossibly a base metal became synthesised polymer and photonic conduits. Perfect for interfacing with the ports needed.

'Whoa.' Harry gasped.

'Even removed from my ship it's still a part of my TARDIS. The chameleon circuit is helping.' The Scholar called out from warp control. 'And before you ask; it knows what to do thanks to it's telepathic link.'

The two of them looked at each other, up until now the Scholar had been vague threats and arrogance. There hadn't been any real proof that he was as superior as he claimed. Here was proof, terrible proof, that he had knowledge they couldn't begin to touch. Telepathic spaceships, morphic technology. Harry looked at the strange alien, for the first time he wondered if he really was as advanced as he claimed.

Shuddering Harry turned back to the console and began attaching the cables. All he had to do was look at them and they changed, one glance and he could tell just where the cable was supposed connect and what chips it could replace. It might have been the telepathic ship telling him what they were.

Or he could just be that good, but Harry doubted it.

Then the Captain called down from the bridge. 'We're approaching the belt, but the Cube is gaining. Tuvok, what's going on down there?'

'Captain, there is a workable plan. We are attempting to reformat our warp field and adapt three torpedos to carry false warp readings.'

There was a pause. 'Do you think it will fool the Borg?'

'Possibly, but would only be a mater of time before they investigate the correct warp trail.'

'We should be long one by then Captain.' The Scholar called up to the ceiling. 'The warp trails are all fake. Have all hands prepare for transference.'

'For what?' the Captain asked

The stranger opened his mouth for a moment, but thought better of it. 'Just have everyone prepare for a shock and stop the ship.'

'Stop the ship?'

'Park it somewhere. Anywhere, I don't care and it doesn't matter. Now if you excuse me.' the Scholar turned back to Warp control systems. Harry watched in awe as he began typing warp calculations at impressive speeds.

He wasn't simply modifying the existing warp field, but building whole new calculations from scratch. 'Why don't you use the existing calculations? It would be faster.'

'So would a sledge hammer. It would take just as long to modify your work as build this.'

Tuvok was looking over the alien's shoulder. 'Fascinating, I have never seen a warp field constructed in that way. You're harmonising the subspace resonance.'

'And using the hull of your torpedos as a sounding board. With a bit of luck I can bury the reaction quota in background radiation. If I do this right they'll have a lot of trouble digging the readings out. Buying us a little more time.'

Harry felt his eyebrows find his hairline. Torres looked just as concerned, ever since they learnt that subspace could be damaged by warp fields so called "Clean Warp" had been the holy grail of warp technicians across the Federation. Voyager's own nacelles were designed with variable geometry, that limited the damage.

If this stranger could reformat warp fields to the point that the readings were almost indistinguishable from background radiation he might just have that secret.

Harry tried to understand what the plan was; 'So your going to hide Voyagers warp signature in background radiation and fire off the torpedoes to distract them?'

'No, but the Borg are going to think that I did. They'll tear their readings apart, looking through every frequency they can think of to find Voyager's footprints. Meanwhile after a little hop you'll be safely cruising on your original settings. Something they'll never think to look for.'

'Hop?' Tuvok asked, sounding bemused.

'You'll see. How's the installation looking?'

Harry frowned. 'We've got everything attached. What now?'

'Move, and hold on to something.' The Scholar ordered. 'Mr Tuvok, I've mapped the Warp fields onto the torpedoes, fire them. Random directions, it doesn't matter where.'

The vulcan nodded and entered the commands into his controls.

He jumped to where Harry had just been and began moving switches, leavers and buttons at random 'Lieutenant, reformat the warp field with the settings I provided. Ensign give her a hand. When I say hold on to something solid, do.'

* * *

The Queen watched enfolding events through her link to the Tactical Cube. Janeway had succeeded where few others had dared try. She had irritated her. A full Tactical Cube would be more than enough to demonstrate the gravity of that mistake. It had taken months for the Cube she'd assigned the task to find a Starfleet signature.

Their course was predictable and it hadn't taken very long for the Cube to be launched through a Transwarp hub. Now they were running, attempting to hide from her.

A desperate act, hardly surprising. An Intrepid Class starship never was designed to be a match for a standard cube. It was only due to chance that they had survived this long. A factor the Queen had thoroughly eliminated this time around.

As the Tactical Cube cleared the astroid Voyager had ducked behind the sensors resolved to show the small ship for a fraction of a second, then nothing.

The Queen ran that femtosecond through her monitor again. The ship was clearly there one instant and gone the next. As she reviewed the footage the cube continued to scan the area. It reported four separate warp signatures.

Obviously Voyager had developed a new warp drive, they must have been waiting for a chance to test it. Three warp trails were false leads they had to be, she just had to find out which one was the right one to follow.

End Chapter Four

Authors note

Eventually I gave up bashing my head against the wall and gave some thought as to where the story was going. When I had a chance to re-evaluate my notes I realised that I needed something to help integrate The Scholar with the crew. In a short while he's going to have to perform a dangerous experiment, one that the Voyager crew will be concerned by. A little trust is needed and for that I need to have some event bond them together.

Thomas


	6. Chapter Five

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Five

Authors note:-  
Okay, It's been a while, but for a very good reason. While I have enjoyed writing this story it has been anything but my best work. Littered with spelling mistakes and plot holes big enough to drive a Borg Cube through.

As such, and in an effort to streamline things into something resembling a good story, I've re-edited the whole thing. Correcting most of the spellings and plastering over some of the holes.

By now I've replaced all the previous chapters and I am going to try and finish this story off right.

* * *

Kathryn felt the deck tremble slightly before it gave a sudden lurch.

One moment she was watching the view screen as the massive cube cleared the asteroid then the next she wasn't. She was simply standing at the science station looking at the bulkhead.

Fighting down a sudden wave of nausea she steadied herself against the wall. Shaking her head clear Kathryn stepped out of the alcove and looked around. Catching a shadow at the ops station she asked for a status report. It was only when she turned to face the console she remembered the Ensign was supposed be in engineering. Instead of the experienced Ensign it was Seven, looking just as as confused as she felt. Another look over the bridge and Kathryn could see they weren't the only ones displaced. Chakotay was sitting in the pilots chair, blinking as if someone had hit him over the head with a wet sock full of sand. Tom Paris on the other hand was trying to find his feet, pulling himself up from behind Kathryn's seat only to find his foot trapped in the upholstery.

'What the hell just happened?' Kathryn asked no one in particular.

It had taken almost an hour to gather everyone in the briefing room, during which Kathryn had received all sorts of reports. People and objects, basically anything that wasn't bolted down, had been scattered throughout the ship. Crew members found themselves where they shouldn't have been with no idea how they got there.

According to the Doctor the sickbay was a complete mess, almost all of his loose equipment, including any number of hyposprays, chemical vials and even his mobile emitter had somehow ended in a single heap in his office. Even Kathryn had found her Ready Room, once a place of strict order and discipline, a wreck that would take all afternoon to sort out.

After her command staff had finally gathered, and got the briefing room into some sort of organisation she repeated her earlier question. 'Does anyone know what happened?'

Looking around the table there was only one person that didn't look shaken or confused. Their uninvited guest.

Kathryn had deliberately included him in the general summons. She still didn't trust the alien but he was the only one who had the first idea as to what he had done. Still she couldn't admit that and wanted to hear her crew's opinion first.

Expectantly Kathryn looked at Seven, who had the expression of someone attempting a warp field calculation on the fly and without the aid of a computer.

'We were there, we are now here.' The so-called Scholar supplied cryptically.

Seven looked up and set her jaw, but it was Harry that answered. 'Effectively that's correct Captain. If I had to guess I believe we folded space.'

The Scholar rolled his eyes, but Kathryn pretended not to notice. 'Folded Space?' she asked, trying to remember the ancient theory.

'Yes…' Harry began, but the Scholar interrupted

'No, space cannot be folded. There isn't anything to bend. I merely negated distance by transposing co-ordinates.'

'What?' Chakotay asked, still sounding stunned. 'That's not possible.'

'Yes it is.' Their intruder sighed. 'Distance from one point to another is measured by time. I removed it from the equation and we moved.'

'But how did we get here?' Torres asked.

'We didn't get anywhere, as we did not travel. We were, we are. There was no middle.'

Tom Paris let out a low whistle as they realised the implications. 'You can just do that, just jump across the Galaxy?' he asked.

'Jump?' The Scholar winced at the word before sighing. Calmly he stood up and walked around the table. 'I'll see if I can explain. Captain, can I borrow your badge?'

She took off her Comm badge and handed it over. Nodding to Tuvok just in case. The intruder continued to walk around them. rolling the device over the back of his knuckles for all to see. 'If I wanted to get this to young Ensign Kim from over here I could throw it, hand it over the table or ask one of you help. Or I could just ask Ensign Kim to stand up and turn around.' Quite suddenly, before their eyes, badge vanished.

'Where'd it go?' the hapless Ensign asked, doing as he was told. To Kathryn's surprise her Comm Badge was on his back.

'That's just a simple magic trick.' Accused Tom.

The Intruder sat down. 'Of course, so was what happened to this ship. Only the scale and method differed.' he held up a hand. 'Please don't ask me to explain how I did it, imagine trying to explain Warp speed travel to a cave dwelling ancestor. First you'd have to convince it that light travels.'

Kathryn was beginning to understand, at least understand enough to be very worried. Their intruder didn't just understand things they could barely grasp, he saw existence totally different from them. Despite his outward appearance he could probably be the most alien creature she had ever met.

'As for the trick with the badge.' The intruder smiled producing one from out of his sleeve. 'This one is Commander Tuvok's. I palmed it as you were removing yours Captain.' All eyes swivelled to the Vulcan's tunic, it was missing

Torres rubbed the back of her neck as the intruder returned it, 'That still doesn't explain why I was hanging upside down next to the warp core.' She pointed out. Kathryn looked at her chief engineer, picturing the half klingon hanging upside down and tried not to laugh.

'That was a simple side effect. Everything inside the ship, that was not attached, was displaced.' The Scholar explained. 'My console could only transfer the ship, not the contents. But as we were all secure within the ship we were taken along. Like moving a half empty box, anything inside was shaken.'

"Were there another side effects?' Tuvok asked.

'None that I've found.' Torres admitted. 'I ran a quick diagnostic and everything's fine.'

'Perhaps some minor salt an protein loss. A few unfortunate crew members might have a headache, they will quickly pass.' The Scholar shrugged, 'but other than that you should all be fine.'

Kathryn sat back as she tried to work out the logic behind what she'd been told, despite the fact it broke every law she knew about the universe. Harry, on the other hand, had an idea; 'If you can jump us here, why not take us all the way home? We don't have to do it all at once, we could do it in stages.'

This wasn't the first time Harry had gotten exited by a why home and much like before Kathryn knew it wasn't going to be that simple. Before anyone could get their hopes up the strange alien shook his head sadly. 'I cannot do that. Were my influence on this timeline to stretch further than the smallest incident the results would be disastrous.'

'What do you mean, haven't you already interfered?' Chakotay pointed out.

'We shall see, destiny sometimes has other plans.' Something in his voice made something cold settle into her gut.

'Destiny?' the Captain asked, frowning. 'I believe we make our own destines.'

He nodded. 'Of course you do, that's why my mere existence is an issue.'

'But if you have interfered already, why can't you do more?' Harry pressed. 'Who's to say your destiny isn't to help us.'

'I am.' he said coldly. 'Any major interaction in this timeline is unacceptable.'

'But you've already given us what we need.' Harry just wouldn't' take no for an answer. He turned to face Kathryn. 'The technology is already installed, between us Seven and I can figure out how it works.'

Kathryn couldn't say she wasn't tempted, this technology could take you anywhere instantly. From home to the gamma quadrant and even alpha quadrant all in the space of a day. Then she caught the look in the alien's eye. 'You could try.' He challenged. 'The controls are isomorphic, they will only respond to me and me alone.'

'A security precaution?' Tuvok asked.

'A symbiotic relationship.' He looked around the table at the expectant and chagrinned faces before shaking his head 'Understand this, all of you, before the universe was two thirds its current size my people could traverse time and space at will. We defeated the great Space Vampires and arose from the Dark Times themselves. In our wake civilisation came into existence. Our history is not just measured in millions of years, but billions.'

Kathryn was locked in place by his gaze. He wasn't showing off, simply proving a point and in his eyes she could see it was the truth. She had stood before the Borg Queen and Q, she knew what it was like to be in their presence but she had never feared them. Not like she feared this strange alien at that moment. 'You can not coerce, bribe or force me to change my mind. To me your people, your very culture, is nothing more than ape-like creatures banging rocks with sticks.' he continued, addressing the whole table. 'None of you has anything near the comprehension needed to understand what I am doing here or my methods.'

'Then why help us?' Harry asked, his voice only just above a whisper. 'Why did you destroy our sensors if were nothing compared to you?'

The Scholar turned his attention to the bridge officer and he visibly flinched. 'If you have to ask that, you're not nearly as evolved as you pretend to be.' With that he left, cloak sweeping behind him and two bewildered security officers on his heels

* * *

Seven of Nine had never been tempted to act in anger before, but at that moment the desire to throw the tricorder as well as the whole console as far away as possible was very strong. 'These readings do not make any sense.'

After the Stranger had stormed out, to be escorted back to the brig, the Captain ordered her, accompanied by Ensign Kim, Commander Tuvok and Commander Torres, to investigate the device installed. So far everything he had told them was true, even so far as removing the device was proving impossible. It wasn't interfering with the ship in anyway, only proving to be a hinderance by reason of existence.

Commander Tuvok folded up his own tricorder. 'Neither do these controls. There is no logical or cohesive pattern to them. Were I to simply attempt trial and error there is no telling what could happen.'

Commander Torres pulled her head out from the panel underneath. 'I swear I only connected four cables, but now there's a whole mess of wires in there. Making connections I couldn't even guess at.'

'And it looks like its hooked into the ships superstructure.' Ensign Kim called out.

'What?' the Engineer half shouted before ducking back under. Seven was about to follow when a noise behind her caught her attention. Lieutenant Carey had stumbled, dropping a pad and was now leaning on the bulkhead.

'Lieutenant Carey, your efficiency appears to be compromised.' She addressed him.

'It was that… whatever he did. Feels like I've got some sort of concussion.' he admitted

Seven frowned. 'I understand several people onboard suffered similar side effects. The Scholar assured the Captain they were temporary.'

'I hope so, it feels like my head's about to fly off.' He winced, 'And I think it's getting worse.'

'Then you should report to the sickbay.' Commander Tuvok announced and Seven nodded her agreement.

'I will accompany you.' She added, she was not confident that the Lieutenant would be able to make it there alone. She was proven right, Just over half the way there he stumbled again, colliding with the wall and was unable to complete the journey unaided.

Once inside sickbay she found two others in a similar state, before she could do anything about it the Doctor took one look at her and gestured to a bio-bed. 'Put him there.' He snapped before turning to his monitors. 'This doesn't make any sense.'

'What is the problem?'

'Their DNA, its unraveling.' He brought up a graphic of a double helix several of the protein bonds were gone. There was no pattern or common factor, the bonds, no matter the pairing, were simply dissolving.

'Some sort of radiation or quantum effect?' She asked.

'If so why are these three the only ones effected? I've scanned them from head to toe and there is nothing to explain this.'

Seven brought up the readings and had to agree. Thinking over the effects the Scholar had outlined for them. 'Could the protein loss have this effect?'

The hologram shook his head. 'I can't think how.' he began pointing at a different part of the helix. 'The damage is progressive. That means whatever caused this is still effecting it. The jump may have had something to do with it, but, again, I can't see why it would only effect these three. We should have reports from all over the ship. I've already contacted the Captain, I can't think of anything to stabilise them, let alone reverse the process.'

At that moment the door opened and the Captain entered with The Scholar and his guard. 'What is the problem?' He asked as soon as he marched in. The Doctor took a moment to get permission from her before explaining.

'Dissolving?' The Scholar latched onto that word and moved to the monitor. With one glance and he began muttering in various languages. Seven recognised a few as various diatribes on wanton stupidity.

'You know what's causing it?' The Doctor asked, almost accusingly.

'I never for a second thought it would have this effect. Then again I never for a second thought anyone would eat synthesised matter.' he growled bitterly.

'What?' Seven asked, only to be echoed by the Captain and Doctor.

The Scholar shook his head. 'This is hardly the time, but never mind. Synthetic matter, such as your replicators produce, has a radically reduced half life. In the case of organic matter that means it spoils far quicker. Surely you know this.'

The Captain nodded

'And you know why? It is because the molecular bonds are forced, not naturally occurring. They aren't strong enough and often break under the smallest of pressures.' He explained. 'The more complex the molecular pattern the less stable the bonds.'

'What does all that have to do with this?' the Captain asked

He gave her a pitying look. 'You are what you eat.'

The Doctor blinked, a simulated response that spoke volumes. 'You're saying that replicated food is causing this?' he exclaimed

'But we've been using Replicators for decades. Surely we would have felt the effects by now.' The Captain protested.

'Not if the Jump, as we're calling it, acted as a catalyst.' The Doctor disagreed.

'Exactly. You could have survived several generations without much visible effect. It would be the combined effect that you would have to worry about. At first you would become hungry more often, the replicated matter would become less than satisfying to your needs. Lifespans would shorten, you'd need more and more exotic treatments. Eventually the damage would eventually spread to your reproductive material. Birthrates would drop, children will be susceptible to all manner of infections.'

'Generations?' the Captain asked.

'It's possible.' The Doctor said darkly. 'Damage on this sort of level would take years to confirm.'

'Look into it. Right now.' The Captain ordered. 'But first we need to find a cure.'

The Scholar made a straight line for the doctors supply of chemicals. 'I believe can help, for the short term. But there is only one long term solution, which I am very much afraid may be worse.

'Whats worse than dying from a self inflicted genetic disorder?'

'Your Talaxian's cooking.'

End Chapter Five


	7. Chapter Six

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Six

Kathryn grimaced as she sipped her coffee. It was from their resident chef and ambassador and only resembled coffee. In that it was hot, brown and might have had caffein in it.

'Computer; play back last log entry.'

After a moment it responded with her own voice 'Captain's log:- While I am still awaiting the final results of Seven's investigation word has already reached the crew that there may be a fatal flaw in the replicator system.

'I have to agree that the science seems rational, but I find it hard to believe in all the years we have been using the technology no one has questioned it before. However we have never used that sort of technology before.

'I am more convinced than ever that our strange visitor represents a people unimaginably more advanced than our own. While I still question his intentions I find myself forced to rely on him and his judgement. Commander Chakotay and Mr Tuvok share my distrust, and my concerns. Between the three of us we are keeping him under constant surveillance.

'Ensign Kim is currently using the Astrometric computer to locate a nearby world with the resources our guest has told us will be required to rebuild the temporal sensor. The materials are, according to Harry, surprisingly primitive. Including quartz, stone and several base metals. While these would be readily available through the Replicator our guest insists that we must use natural materials.

'I can only assume this is because of the very issue we are investigating.' The log finished just as the door to her ready room opened.

* * *

Seven strode into the office. She had heard the log from the other side of the bulkhead, due to her Borg enhanced hearing, and waited until it had finished before entering. Even though she had resisted the Doctor's training in etiquette and manners it had proven to be helpful.

She knew from bitter experience The Captain would have been much less inclined to hear her if she had not followed it. The Captain had once wasted a whole discussion arguing, so while an inefficient use of time it was far more practical than any other option.

As the Captain out a hand the former drone passed over the Padd with her results. 'Within five hundred years the culminated effect of replicator technology would result in near extinction.' she summarised. 'At first the effects would appear much like transporter psychosis; dehydration, loss of vision and feeling in the extremities. Especially in the old or infirm'

The Captain had given her the task of confirming their Visitor's observations. So far she was proving them correct, his condescending attitude and oversimplified descriptions not withstanding. 'Malnutrition would soon follow, no matter how much food they ingest.' Seven continued. 'These symptoms would be especially acute in the old or infirm. Were they to survive much longer major organs would then shut down.'

'The degeneration would effect each generation earlier. Eventually resulting in the complete unravelling of our DNA.' The Captain threw the Padd down and glared at the replicator. 'Any explanation why these crewmen were most effected?'

Seven of Nine nodded. 'They routinely use up all of their allotted replicator rations, often even exceeding that limit. My research suggests the more meals prepared with grown foodstuffs will reduce the effects.'

'There's no way we can feed the entire crew with the hydroponics bays alone.' The Captain explained redundantly. 'And Neelix is already at his limit.' She stood up and went to her ready room's windows. Gazing out at the stars as they flew past at warp 6. 'There's nothing else for it. I'll have to cut back on his other duties, assign some other crewmen to assist him.'

Seven felt like she had to point out the obvious flaw in that logic. 'Whatever we do onboard this ship this problem will effect the entire Federation. Without Replicator technology the resources needed for a population the size of the Federation…'

'Maybe the Admirals back home will come up with a solution.' The Captain interrupted. 'We might be blowing this out of proportion. After all its not as if it's going to happen in any of our lifetimes. Who knows what might happen in a few years, No one can see the future.'

Seven frowned. 'You believe that, with this information, it could be possible to modify the Replicators to prevent the predicted disaster.'

'It has to be. After all transporter psychosis was problem in the early days of teleportation technology. Then we developed the multiplex patten buffers and solved it. I'll have Harry look into the problem.'

As the former drone understood it the flaw was inherent in the very nature of the technology. Simply modifying a handful of minor components would not change that. Again she knew that trying to explain that would be a waste of time.

Standing there, watching the Captain struggle with the problem Seven's perception shifted. This was the same perspective the Stranger had when dealing with the crew. The knowledge and ability to help solve their problems, but trapped by a culture and society that found it impossible to accept that the problem existed in the first place.

* * *

Naomi Wildman, Captan's assistant and amateur sleuth, was deep in the middle of an investigation. She had heard that the stranger had a hidden ship in the shuttle bay and knew she had to find it.

The Captain had put a couple of security officers at the door after a whole engineering team failed to find anything. They'd spent an hour in there, with Seven of Nine, looking for his ship and found nothing, but she had an idea.

Her mother had told her once, you could hide ships. Make them invisible. What if he knew how to do that? They wouldn't be able to find it, Not even Seven. But, Naomi thought, then neither would he. How would he find a hidden ship like that, maybe if he hid the door, make it look like something else. He could still find it that way and the others wouldn't. They'd look for the ship, not the door.

She still had to get into the Shuttle bay, the security officers didn't let her anywhere near. Naomi, however, knew another way in. They were guarding the outside, not inside and there were her secret tunnels.

She knew they were really Jeffries Tubes, ways for people to get into the systems of the ship when they needed to work on them, but to Naomi they were her tunnels. She could get anywhere in the ship through them, even were she wasn't supposed to be. As long as no one saw her in there they wouldn't be any the wiser.

Braking into the Bay was easy, but there was so much stuff in there. It took her an hour to try every door she could find, Naomi even tried the hatches on Neelix's ship. Nothing, almost everything was locked. She was about to give up and go back to watching the stranger when, out of shear mischievousness, she tried the tool cabinet that stood to one side.

* * *

'Hum,' The Scholar frowned, putting down the cup. 'I'm fairly sure that, in the right proportions the ingredients this concoction would be a deadly poison.'

'Does that mean you like it?' Neelix asked, it was the sixth cup the alien had tried. As with each time before he had been able to list exactly what the Tallaxian had put in it.

It was quite obvious that his species, whatever it was, had astoundingly acute senses. Taste, smell, even touch, they were all impressive. His mental discipline, if it wasn't unique, was a sign that all his people were highly trained. Perhaps to a point even beyond his own peoples.

'No, it means I'm surprised I'm not dead.' The alien picked up a piece of paper he had been writing on and handed it to Tuvok. 'These are the materials I will need to build a temporal sensor.'

The vulcan read through them quickly. Sand, wood, and various primitive metals were listed, much to his confusion. 'You intend to construct it from raw materials?' he asked.

'Not entirely. I will also need one of your portable tricorders, a low powered phaser and some other tools.'

'Yes, but for the construction of a temporal sensor array. There is not enough material here…'

The Scholar sighed. 'I'm not going to build an array. This device, or sensor as you might call it, won't be much bigger than your head.' Tuvok looked at him, adding another layer to the report he would have to write later.

Then the alien stopped, as if hearing something far away. Before turning to face him. 'What have you done?' he half shouted.

* * *

Seven of Nine and the Captain met up with Lieutenant Tuvok and the Scholar outside the Shuttle Bay. The stranger was demanding entrance and the guards were trying to keep him out.

'What's happening here?' the Captain shouted out.

'One of your crew, a child, has found their way onto my ship Captain. On to my TARDIS.'

'I don't know what he's talking about Captain.' One of the gold shirts said. 'Miss Wildman was here a few hours ago, but we sent her away.'

'I am telling you, she found a way.'

'This door has been locked…'

'Then she got in another way, a maintenance shaft.' The Scholar announced

'Jeffries tube access.' Seven said, the concept suddenly coming to her. 'There is access throughout the ship, not all points can be secured.'

The Captain looked at them before turning to the Gold shirts. 'Open this bulkhead, now.'

Inside the Shuttle Bay the Scholar made straight for an open tool cabinet and disappeared. 'Seven, Tuvok follow him.' The Captain ordered.

What surprised the former drone the most was the complete lack of sensation, there was no disorientation or static build up she associated with teleportation. Not even a pressure change. It was almost identical to stepping into the bay, only it couldn't be. Inside the cabinet was a vast cathedral, easily stretching back further than even the Shuttle Bay.

Vast columns rose out of the ground and vaulted together. The carvings at the top interlocking together in complex patterns. Almost as if the pearly white stone had grown organically. She looked more carefully and saw the creamy patten shifting under the stone. Light and dark flowing into each other, like eddies and currents pulling and pushing against each other. It had to be some sort of trick of the light.

Commander Tuvok pulled out his tricorder and began scanning as she moved to a window. There were several of them spaced down the nave, all leading outside where the only light was coming from. An outside that looked like a garden, well kept and full of strange statues. each one so complex and detailed that they seemed to shift through dimensions beyond even her perception.

High above three suns sparked, the largest a golden yellow, one a blue dwarf and the third an impossible green.

'These do not appear to be holograms.' The Vulcan said from over her shoulder. His tone very close to awe.

Seven shifted her visual range, looking for fluctuations. Any evidence that this was a hologram. Nothing, it seemed as real as Voyager.

But it couldn't be. According to all the laws of the known universe it couldn't exist. Outside was a whole planet, a whole solar system contained within the Shuttle Bay.

Thankful for the distraction she caught a sight of movement, deeper inside the strange ship. It was the Scholar, he was focused on what looked like an alter. There were eight sides to it, each looked to made of the same marble like substance as the columns.

As he reached for one of the panels it seemed to shimmer, becoming a console identical to the one he had installed in Engineering. 'What is this place?' Seven of Nine asked.

'My TARDIS.' He said, waving a hand. 'I admit I indulged myself with the decor a little too much, but we're all allowed these little things.' As Seven looked around she saw that the far panel was missing, the same one that had to be in Engineering.

She reached out for one of the other panels, but nothing happened. 'It's a security feature.' He explained. 'You wouldn't be able to understand the controls and the last thing we want is you dematerialising us by accident. Especially without a location control circuit. We could literally end up anywhere in space.

He moved again 'I've already locked the time controls. We were lucky I remembered to set the feature, otherwise she could have knocked the whole ship into the Time Vortex. See why I dislike humans so much?'

'Time Vortex?'

'Yes, you see my TARDIS can travel to any planet in space and to any point in that planets existence.'

'Time Space travel?' Lieutenant Tuvok asked. 'Is that not extremely dangerous?' 'Yes, in the hands of primitive life forms such as yourselves. Not my people.' He said looking up from his work. 'I see you finally understand, my people had perfected time space travel almost a billion years before your worlds spun out of the dust.' A symbol flashed as a new set of controls shimmered into appearance. 'Found her!' he said, pressing it.

One of the windows darkened, as if it had become night outside. As it brightened again it showed another vast hallway. Somewhere else, but unmistakably the same as the cathedral like space they were in. Then the small from of Naomi Wildman stepped into view.

She held her arms close and looked around herself. She was lost, alone and very afraid. 'Hello child.' The Scholar called out and she stopped.

'Who… Who's there?'

'I am the Scholar, this is my ship. It called me when it realised you were lost.'

The young girls eyes grew even wider. 'It called you? Your ship's alive?'

Seven was uncomfortably reminded of species 8472 and their own organic technology. 'In it's own way.' The Scholar admitted, manipulating other controls, seemingly at random. 'Now, I want you to listen very carefully; turn around and go back the way you came. You'll find a dead end with a door, go through that door.'

'But…'

'Do as I say child.'

She turned and the view switched to showing her facing the dead end he described. 'How?' she whispered.

'It's that door there.' The Scholar pointed behind them. 'Don't bother, it wasn't there before. Architectural subsystem. I can convert the structure into anything I want.' It was at that point Seven gave up.

She realised, just as she could not get the Captain to conceive of the limitations of replicator technology she would never truly understand the Scholar. What limited her, what limited the entire Borg Collective and the Federation combined, was nothing more than a simple task to him to overcome.

The door opened and the girl stumbled through. With a low cry she ran to Lieutenant Tuvok's side 'I only wanted to help. I was looking for his ship.' Naomi Wildman told them. She was scared, terrified.

'Then what were you doing wandering the corridors?' The Scholar asked sharply.

Naomi Wildman pulled closer to Tuvok. 'I wanted to see the Garden. I didn't know if it was real.'

He shook his head. 'It is real, but there is a reason I don't want you people stumbling around here. I'm already in a lot of trouble.'

'Really?' Wildman asked hopefully. 'Do you get in trouble?'

He pulled a leaver down slowly, and outside the triple suns set. Plunging the grand nave into darkness before a strange symbol at the back began glowing. It was similar to the pattern the Scholar had on his robes, just immensely bigger. Two spirals, one above the other with some sort of wave patten either side. All contained within a circle. 'Oh yes, I can get in trouble.'

End Chapter 6


	8. Chapter Seven

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Seven

Voyager's Doctor looked at the sensor readings again and toyed with the idea of programming a beard onto his face. He sat in his office, looking over the screens arrayed on the back wall. Each panel showing a different part of the officer still on the bio bed. Most of the others affected were minor, a short round with their guest's treatment had repaired the damage. Lieutenant Carey was the most radically effected by the "jump" and his results didn't make much sense. Medically it was similar to some of the more unpleasant after effects of early transporter experiment. He recalled the early records of Transporter psychosis, the most common disorder with enough similarity with the effects, although this was a lot more nuanced.

Transporter psychosis was a side effect of the body not being re-constructed properly and it trying to compensate. All the pieces were there, right down to the DNA, on the unfortunate Lieutenant but it was like the parts didn't fit together anymore.

It was times like this he really missed Kes, her naivety and curiosity gave her an insight he lacked. He had the entire Federation Medical Database in his program but when it came to insight he was woefully ill equipped. Something in the chemical makeup flickered past on the screen and he found himself blinking.

If it was a reaction he had learnt, or one his programmer had put in he couldn't tell anymore. Typing quickly he looked at the chemical make up again, they were the right chemicals and in the right order, but they were wrong. On the atomic level they were wrong. Isotopes that still showed up correctly, but didn't bond right.

Looking more carefully the hologram saw it was more of a mutation than a chemical change. Somehow the atomic structure of the protein molecule was slightly off, other compounds had gotten involved throwing of the balance and taking the bonds that DNA relied upon.

That didn't explain how the cure cooked up by their guest repaired the damage, or why it was taking so much longer with the Lieutenant.

He was in the middle of cataloguing the strange chemical results when Torres came in, pushing Ensign Kim in front of her. 'I'm alright, I said I was just tired.' The luckless young man whined.

'Sit down Starfleet.' She ordered, 'Computer, activate EMH.'

Suppressing a sigh, yet another attitude he wasn't sure was programmed or not, he stepped out of the office. 'Please state the nature of the medical emergency.' He said absently, picking up a medical tricorder.

'It's not an emergency Doc.' The Ensign sighed, looking equal parts bored and embarrassed.

'You were wandering the corridors Harry. Looked like someone had hit you with a low powered phaser on stun.'

The EMH flipped open the tricorder and began scanning. 'I was just tired.' he tried to explain.

There was no sign of a stun blast, so the Doctor switched to scanning the young man's brain. Again no immediate results. 'Hum, everything looks fine.' He closed the tricorder. 'I suggest you get some rest as soon as possible and take some time off in the holodeck.'

Ensign Kim gave Torres a smug grin and got off the bed. 'Told you, I'll get back to work.' he turned to the door and stopped.

'Harry?'

'Ensign Kim?'

He turned around, blinking as if confused. 'I was scanning something.' He didn't sound sure. 'Something in the shuttle bay…'

'He's fine, is he?' Torres asked.

The EMH slapped his comm badge. 'Captain, we might have another problem.'

* * *

Kathryn drummed her fingers on her desk, her coffee cooling just to one side. 'What was the explanation again?' she asked carefully.

Standing opposite her was her first officer and Tuvok. the pair of them looked uncomfortable. 'No one seems to be able to understand it Captain.' Chakotay told her. 'Apparently part of his ship's camouflage system is telepathic. It tricks people near by into forgetting it.'

Kathryn took a deep breath. 'A telepathic ship, that is bigger on the inside, is disguised as one of our tool cabinets. If we get too close it makes us forget about it?' She summed up what they knew about the vessel.

'That is correct.'

'How's Mr Kim?' she asked.

'Dazed.' Tuvok told her, obviously using the word for convenience sake. 'The Doctor has ordered that he take some time off duty and try to rest. I have already seen to it.'

'No long term damage?' She asked. Harry was, in someways, still a kid. She still didn't like putting him in danger.

Tuvok shook his his head. An action he'd picked up from working alongside humans. Kathryn wasn't sure if he was doing it deliberately or not. 'The Doctor does not think so. I asked the intruder and he confirmed that Ensign Kim will be alright.'

'Double his guard.' She ordered, 'And double the security at every vital system. If he's not in Astrometrics, Neelix's galley or the brig I want the whole ship on red alert until we find him.'

Chakotay looked shocked at that. 'Surely we're not still treating him as a prisoner?'

Kathryn stood up quickly. 'I don't trust him. We still know so little about his origins, his nature or even his name.' She came out from around her desk. 'All we have a vague hints, threats and technology so advanced that not even the Borg can understand it. I feel lie we're children blindly groping in the dark while he can see everything and I don't like it.'

'Understood' Her chief of security said carefully and turned to leave.

'And Mr Tuvok, set up a forcefield around his ship and one around the console in Engineering. No one is to go near either without direct permission from me.'

Raising an eyebrow he nodded and left, Chakotay following him. The former Maquis captain looked uncomfortable, but if he had any doubts he kept them to himself. She was glad of that, she didn't need another pile on top of her own.

* * *

Seven watched as the Scholar sat back in the chair, his arms folded and eyes half closed as he looked at the immense screen in front of him. 'You know, there are worlds out there where life is so different that you can't even imagine. Whole planets and civilisations carved out of hollowed out comets, populated by faint whispers howling the endless galleries. All the while mankind searches the heavens for something else, you people truly can't see the wood for the trees.'

'I personally calibrated the sensors to feed any possible life readings here for analysis.' Seven told him. She was getting more than a little tired of his constant egotism.

He looked at her. 'Then why is that planet, and I use the word loosely, on our short list for possible supplies?'

Seven walked over to the console and brought up the sensor readings. 'Less than five light years from our current course. Well within Class M. Uninhabited by advanced lifeforms. Long range sensors show several forests on the major land mass. mineral traces are good...'

'It's Sif-yor-mal-yan-beck.' He interrupted with a sigh, 'The trees are carnivorous and that's just the beginning. The natural order on that world is stuck in an endless repeating loop. The Trees eat the animals, animals eat the fungus, the fungus eats the trees. Once every few hundred years one or the other dies out the other two flourish, starve and the whole thing starts again.'

'How do you know this?' Seven asked scanning the data again. 'Have you been there?'

'No, on the account that I'm not dead, poisoned, drugged or all three.' He sighed. 'I recognise it the same way I recognise every world, star and asteroid on that screen and a thousand others you've missed. I read all about them when I was a child, three or four hundred years ago. If I might suggest scanning the planet four point six light years further along, vector thirty-one by seven by twelve.'

For a moment Seven wondered if banning the Scholar from touching the computers was not a wholly ineffectual use of time. Doing as instructed Seven watched new information come up. The world wasn't as idillic as the previous one, but seemed to be sufficient.

'Yes,' he said. 'That one will do. Vis'randa. A bit wet, but there is a flying six tailed fox like creature that's a prized delicacy on some of the nearby worlds. Well will be, as soon as they get around to it.'

Seven was about to mention the complete lack of warp capable species in range when she realised what he meant. He was predicting the future, much like he had with the supposed downfall of the Federation. Only this time he was a lot more precise with his prediction.

She wondered just what, exactly, he knew about the future.

Behind him the doors opened and Ensign Wildman was there with her child. The girl looking very nervous. Slowly the Scholar stood and turned around. 'Yes?' he asked.

'Naomi has something she'd like to say to you.' The Ensign said looking at her daughter.

Looking intently at her own shoes the child took a couple of steps forward. 'I'm sorry for going where I shouldn't have and getting you in trouble.' She said, almost mumbling.

The Scholar stood there for a moment and waited for Naomi Wildman to look at him. 'It was very brave of you to come here.' he said, eyes flicking to her mother and a smile Seven thought categorised as sardonic. 'Thank you, but your actions aren't what is going to be my biggest problems. Being here at all is a crime.'

'Really, why?' Naomi asked him, obviously without thinking. The child preceded to blush and look away.

The Scholar bent down to her level. 'I'm sure your mother has told you about what she calls the Prime Directive. How she and the people of this ship cannot interfere with younger, less advanced races.'

So you're older, is that how your ship's so much bigger on the inside?' Seven could see how she was becoming bold. So could the Scholar

Much to Seven's surprise he laughed. It wasn't with scorn, or to be insulting, but like she had told some immense joke. 'You see, this is why your people are so dangerous. Curiosity comes as easily to you as breathing, even when you know it was curiosity that killed the cat.' Seven had heard the phrase before but had never understood what it meant. 'Yes, and no.' He explained. 'My people are more advanced, but there is more to it than that. With your permission.'

Samantha Wildman looked shocked. 'What do you mean?'

'I'm going to have to show your daughter something, don't worry it won't hurt. Just help her understand a few things and perhaps be a bit more careful in the future.'

The ensign looked very uncomfortable. 'Alright, but I'll be standing right here. That is if you want to Naomi.'

The child looked between them. 'Will it hurt?' she asked carefully.

'No, never.' The Scholar said firmly as he held out his hand. Naomi Wildman took it and gave a brief stare.

'Your hand is cold.' she told him.

'It's meant to be.' The Scholar smiled reassuringly. 'Now look at the screen behind me.'

Seven wasn't sure what happened next. The Scholar seemed to relax somehow, as off he'd been tensely holding back something and could at last release it. At the same time Naomi Wildman tensed, her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. It appeared that she was not looking at the Astrometrics screen so much as through it. beyond both it and the ship itself.

The former drone felt a build up of static across the short hairs on the back of her neck as everything became motionless. On the consoles familiar patterns of lights began to slow down. The implant responsible for keeping time, galactic standard as well as ship based began to malfunction, the seconds began to pass slower and slower. It should not have been possible outside of an immense gravitational disruption but time itself was slowing down.

Stepping forward felt to Seven like she was passing through layers of thick atmosphere. Her movement constricted and she was viewing the effects from afar. I should have been blatantly impossible, but whatever was effecting her body had no impact on the speed of her thoughts. 'What are you doing?' she asked. Her voice too, strangely unchanged when the laws of physics demanded that the whole ship should have torn itself apart.

Naomi Wildman's attention snapped to her and Seven felt her gasp of amazement. Even in this slowed down state it only lasted an instant but Seven knew she would never understand what in that fraction of time Naomi saw.

The Scholar let go of the girl's hand and everything snapped back into place with an almost audible suddenness. Naomi Wildman looked at Seven again and then at the alien before running out of the room.

Samantha Wildman chased after her. 'I do wish you hadn't done that Annika.' The Scholar said standing up.

Seven wanted to deny that was her name, but every time she heard it the former Drone remembered the little girl she had been. Insisting she was too old for pig-tails while carrying her battered Mr Bun by one threadbare leg. This time was different though. This time she could almost taste the strawberry's her aunt used to give her, smell the vanilla of her mother's hair and so much more. Her senses battered by the sudden onslaught of memories Seven had to steady herself on the computer desk.

'What… What was that?' She tried to sound forceful, but couldn't hide the breathlessness in her voice.

'I pulled the curtain back, just for a moment.' He said gravely. Seven hoped she was still reeling from the emotions, but seeing him now he wasn't an intruder, or just a threat. He was so much more than either. His face set grimly the Scholar looked at her again as a wry smile came across his face. 'Now you know just how dangerous I can be, maybe you could persuade your Captain to be a little more civil?'

* * *

Kathryn had long finished her last coffee of the night. This whole Scholar situation had used up a whole month's replicator rations in less than a week. Sighing she put the empty cup down again and looked out at the stars streaming past at warp speed.

Blindly groping in the dark for answers was never her style. She hated it, like a child with an unopened box she had to have a peek inside. Her problem was the closer she, or anyone, got the more terrifying the peek became.

She was interrupted form her thoughts by a timid knock. No one knocked on Voyager, her doors weren't locked and even if they were if someone wanted to come in they would have chimed. The knock happened again, a bit louder this time and it was coming from her desk.

Looking around she almost jumped back in fright as what looked like a man in a Starfleet Uniform and Captain's pips was hiding under there. 'Kathy! shhh.' He whispered and pressed a finger to his lips urgently. 'They can't know I'm here!'

'Q?' she gasped, this was all that she needed.

* * *

End Chapter Seven


	9. Chapter Eight

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Eight

Seven watched the Scholar suddenly stand up straight. They had finally isolated a nearby moon, orbiting a collapsing gas giant that met the strange man's specifications. After a heartbeat he seemed to nod. 'Ahh, I should have guessed.'

Seven tilted her head a him. 'What?'

He gave a her a quick look, as if he'd forgotten she was there. 'I need to speak with your Captain. Come, I suspect you'll find this interesting.'

* * *

'Q!' Kathryn hissed again, of all the times the omnipotent and infinitely annoying being could turn up it had to be now 'What is going on?'

'I'm trying not to be seen.' he whispered before poking his head around. 'You can never be too careful.' Being nervous was not something you usually associated with any member of the Q, but Kathryn had never seen one closer.

'Too careful about what?'

In a flash Q vanished, only to instantly appear in the far corner of the room. 'The others.' he said in that voice that meant he was talking about his own kind. 'They think I'm off tormenting Jean-Luc and his merry band, if they knew I was here, now, let's just say they wouldn't be very happy.'

Kathryn sighed as she realised what this was about. 'Let me guess, you're here about our guest.'

'Guest?' Guest!' Q jumped out of the corner. 'Oh Kathy, you have no idea just what you're dealing with. What is on this ship is one of the most dangerous forces in all of creation and you call it a guest.'

Sitting down at her desk Kathryn frowned, it was obvious the Q knew something about the Scholar. From what Q was saying it was enough to make the entire continuum cautious.

The only problem was could she believe anything he said. Tired of all the lying Kathryn knew the only way to deal with Q was directly, not giving him the chance to dissemble or dodge. 'I don't trust him, not one bit. So far he hasn't even told us his race and everything we have learnt has just lead to more questions.'

'He?' Q repeated sceptically. 'Him? That creature is no more a male than I am! You don't know the first thing about it.'

Grimly Q looked at her and Kathryn could literally feel the power of the immortal being. 'Listen carefully, they are a Time Lord. A people as old as we are, some say they might be older. Time wasn't that strict back in the Dark Times. That was before order, their order, was brought to the universe. You can't begin to grasp just how much danger you, this whole galaxy is in from just one.'

* * *

Neelix walked into the Galley, it was the only place he hadn't looked for Naomi. His god-daughter had ran away after talking with The Scholar. According to Seven of Nine she was fine, but Neelix wanted to be sure.

Samantha hadn't had much luck so far and had to be on duty, which left him looking for the little girl. Neelix didn't mind though. Until they got to whatever planet they were heading for there wasn't much to do.

As the doors opened he knew she had to be there, for one when he had left the lights were still on. Now the room was almost totally dark, save for the shaft of light from the hallway behind him and the stars flying past outside. Neelix thought that she was hiding under the counter, she'd done it before. 'Naomi, are you there?' he asked looking over the edge.

'Here.' She whispered softly, causing Neelix to jump. The little girl was over by the window, hidden in deep shadow.

Catching his breath Neelix smiled with relief that he had found her. 'Naomi, what are you doing her in the dark?'

'I can see them better.' She whispered again.

Neelix was worried, Naomi was usually a bundle of energy, getting her to sit still was difficult and keeping her out of trouble was a full time job. 'See what sweetie?'

'The stars.' She said quietly touching the window. 'They're so small, so still. It's not how he sees them.'

'What?' Neelix swallowed and stepped closer. Dropping his voice he carefully asked. 'What did he do?'

'I don't know.' The little girl admitted. 'Everything was so… so clear. I saw things how he sees them and if I tried, really really tried I could almost understand.' She wasn't making much sense and it was worrying him. 'It's like, like they're dancing. All the little stars dancing, and the planets dancing around them and the moons around them.'

'Look I think we should see the Doctor.'

Naomi shook her head 'I know they're not really dancing, but I saw them. Everything was moving Neelix and I could hear the music. It's like I knew where everything was, had been and was going to be.' As she spoke she began twirling her finger across the window, like she was drawing something incredibly complicated. 'It was all so clear, so bright.

'I don't understand.'

'Neither do I, not really. It was so complicated.' She told him and then suddenly stopped with a shudder. 'And then the Borg lady was there.'

'Seven said you ran away right after seeing her. What happened?' Neelix pressed. Naomi finally turned to face him and began crying.

* * *

'Since when did you care about the galaxy Q?' Kathryn asked pointedly.

'Since there was a Time Lord in it' Q said savagely. 'You don't know them like I do, they are cunning, devious. Always planning five moves ahead. You play chess, they're playing poker. You think you have them backed into a corner, then the ground falls from under you. You think you have them dancing to your tune, only to find out they wrote the sheet music.' Q turned away. 'I've had… dealings with some before.'

'They beat you?' Kathryn asked, shocked at the idea

'They… out manoeuvred me.' Q admitted. 'Now do you understand how dangerous they can be?'

'What happened?' Kathryn asked, not really expecting an answer

Q scowled 'It was a long time ago and it's not important.' he dodged. 'My point is Time Lords have a habit of throwing everything out the window. They claim to thrive on order, structure but all they create is chaos.'

'A bit like you then?' Kathryn walked over to her replicator and punched in the controls for more coffee.

Q laughed bitterly. 'I'm willing to admit I've caused my fair share of disasters, but that's always been on a small scale. A nudge here and a nudge there, enough to make ripples. Something to of set the boredom. Not waves though. People like your guest are walking tidal waves. I have seen them topple dictators with just the right words. Detonate suns and tear down whole civilisations with idle scribblings.'

Kathryn looked down at her coffee, remembering his dire predictions and the results. 'Then I think we have a problem.'

As she said that the door slid open.

* * *

The EMH ran the sensor from his medical tricorder over the young girls head and looked at the readings again. Popping it back into it's slot at the top of the device he put the whole on the main computer station in the middle of the room.

The screen updated with the readings automatically. 'So, Doctor what is it? What did that… that man do to Naomi?' Neelix asked angrily.

Tapping at a few controls he isolated the handful of readings that looked strange. 'Neural transmitters are up, and there's some odd synaptic potentials. but other than that she's fine.'

'I don't understand, what does that mean, will she be alright? I mean is there a treatment or something…'

Sighing the EMH held a hand up stopping the chef, come guide, come ambassador. 'Mr Neelix, Naomi is in next to perfect health. There is no sign of the odd cellular damage members of the crew have suffered, or even a cold. Were that all my patients so healthy.' He cast a glance to the still recuperating Lieutenant Carey.

'Then what's wrong with her?'

'Nothing as far as I can tell, but there is an age old technique that some doctor's have been known to practice at times exactly like this.'

'What is it.' Neelix asked eagerly

'Asking her.' The Doctor turned to his smallest patient, who was trying not to giggle. 'So how are you feeling?'

'I'm alright.' She said her attitude suddenly evasive, looking down at her feet as they dangled off the side of the bio-bed.

She was lying and the Doctor knew it. While basic body language wasn't in his original program he'd picked some up over the years. He was almost certain there was something the matter, and if the tricorder wasn't picking it up that meant Naomi would have to tell him the truth, and he knew just the way to get her too. 'Ah I see. Mr Neelix, would you mind getting me the laser scalpel from the medical kit over there?' He pointed at the surgical Bio-bed without looking. 'I'm afraid we're going to have to cut her head open and have a look ourselves.'

Neelix was horrified at the idea, but Naomi, being a bright girl, saw right through the threat and pouted. 'Alright, the Scholar showed me something and Neelix overreacted.' she said shortly.

'Showed you something, what?' the hologram pressed

Naomi inspected her shoes again. 'I don't think he meant to, not the last part I mean.' She took a deep breath. 'I was, kinda, looking through his eyes I guess. Seeing what he saw, or sees.'

'And that was?'

'I don't know how to explain it. It's like someone took today, tomorrow and yesterday and mixed it all up. No that's wrong.' She shook her head. 'It's like we're the ones getting it all mixed up and he sees it as it's supposed to be. All jumbled together.'

'You're not making sense, Are you telling us you could see into the future?' The Doctor asked.

'No, it's like the future and the past are all part of the present.' The girl tilted her head and frowned. 'I think, it was all so clear this afternoon now it's slipping away. Kinda like a dream, the more I try to remember the harder it gets.'

The hologram though about that for a second. 'Makes sense, if he somehow stimulated your neural transmitters as your brain chemistry returns to normal the other effects would reverse.'

'So she'll get better soon, right?' Neelix asked urgently

'As I explained there is nothing wrong with her. Especially nothing that a good nights sleep won't fix.' Doctors since the beginning of time, across all the worlds of the federation agreed on that one thing. It was hard to go wrong with it.

'No.' Naomi half shouted grabbing the doctors hand. 'I don't want to forget. I don't.'

'What don't you want to forget sweetie?' Neelix asked

'The Borg lady, Seven of Nine' she said. 'I saw, we saw her but it was like I said, everything jumbled all together.'

The doctor took a moment. 'Tell us what you can.'

* * *

'Ahh theres nothing quite like entering when people are talking about you.' The Scholar said with a open grin. 'Hello Eternal.'

'I'm known as Q here.' Q said quickly. 'You sensed me?'

'Of course.' the Scholar said of hand. 'Did you really think you could hide your presence?'

'No, can't say that I did.'

Kathryn got between the two of them. 'I take it there's a good reason you're in my ready room.'

'Shut up.' Q snapped, almost in warning. 'This is between us.'

'The lesser races will always be caught between us… Q. It is the way of things.' The Scholar warned. 'You might have free reign here, but that doesn't mean we're not watching.'

'Then why haven't you done anything?' Q said smugly. His smile faltering as a phantom smile flittered across the Scholar's face.

'Captain.' he said, suddenly including her in the discussion. 'As you might have guessed your visitor here has certain opinions of my people, I'm here to help prove them.'

'Prove them?' Kathryn echoed, noticing Seven coming into her ready room as well as the Scholar's escort.

'I warn you Kathy, Time Lords lie with the truth, you can't trust them.' Q said urgently before addressing him 'What are you doing here?'

The Scholar seemed to find this immensely funny. 'You imply duplicity and then ask for a straight answer? Hypocrisy in action, but I won't disappoint. There was an accident, my TARDIS was caught in a Time Storm off the Medusa Cascade, the resulting turbulence blew me off course. This primitive vessel has technology that can assist me in getting home.'

'That is the same as what he told me.' Kathryn nodded and looked to Q's reaction.

'A random accident, one that you could not foresee with all your power? That I find hard to believe.'

'And for all your power I am amazed at how limited you are.' The Scholar snapped back. 'Neither of us live up to our ideals and I hope we never do.'

'Speak for yourself'' Q said smugly

'I was.' The Scholar tilted his head. Almost as if he was accepting a defeat, but a sudden lurch hit Kathryn in the gut. In accepting an apparent defeat she knew he had scored a point, but she couldn't grasp how.

Still this was her ready room, if these two wanted to fight they could do it somewhere else. 'Why don't you just snap your fingers Q and send him home.'

'Because he isn't powerful enough.' The Scholar answered.

Q bristled at that. 'Please, with a snap of my fingers I could fling you and your precious TARDIS across the whole of existence!'

'Yes, but your powers have an inverse ratio of strength and accuracy. The further you push something the harder it is for you to aim.' Q folded his arms as the Scholar continued. 'Flittering about this galaxy isn't an issue, but for what I need you'd be lucky to hit the right dimensional strata.'

'If I can't do it, what do you expect to do? Fly out with your ships power dangerously depleted?'

'No, I'm going to sent a transmission through the void.'

Q laughed. 'It would never make it, you'l have to…' Kathryn watched Q's expression become fear full. 'Are you out of your mind Time Lord? The forces, one tiny miscalculation could… Insane, absolutely insane!'

'Not really, there is a way around it.'

'I'm talking about the fundamental laws of existence themselves. Things that even I wouldn't toy with!'

The Scholar shook his head. 'You're missing it. If you tried, you would fail because of the accuracy need verses the power required. I'm not so hindered.'

'But you don't have that sort of power.' Q half shouted.

'I have a matter anti-matter warp core in arms reach.'

'Still not enough!' Q waved a finger.

The Scholar laughed. 'It's enough to jump start what I do need.'

'Hang on.' Kathryn jumped in. 'You need the output of our warp core to jump start whatever it is you plan to do? How much power are hoping to generate?'

The Scholar turned to her. 'It terms you'd understand, roughly the output of a standard star for five hundred years, over itself squared, per second.'

Kathryn blinked, 'That doesn't make any sense, how can that be possible?'

'He plans to rip open a hole in the fabric of existence. Fracture reality itself!' Q barked

'It's a self-sustaining reaction. The forces involved are inverted, it's perfectly safe.'

'You and I have a different idea of safe.' Q said. 'I'm going to spend a week in the pleasure Galaxy of Ix. If there's anything like reality left when I get back I'll be surprised.' with a snap of his fingers he vanished.

Shaken, Kathryn looked to Seven and saw the Borg was just as confused. 'I want to know exactly what it is you plan to do.'

The Scholar rolled his eyes with a theatrical sigh and then said the one thing she never thought she'd be afraid to hear. 'I will write a report.'

* * *

Seven walked down the corridor, a better description would be stalked. She was in a foul mood and it didn't look like it was going to get any better. Over the last year she had become comfortable with the idea she could find an answer to any problem. Logic, experience and science were the keys to finding any required solution.

The more time she spent around the Scholar the more those solid foundations shifted. Rules and laws that even a being as mighty and omnipotent as a Q dared not cross were clay in his hands.

Seven was almost afraid to read the report he was writing. What new science or ideas would he reveal, what new impossibility would he pass off as a common occurrence?

'Seven, hey Seven!' Ensign Paris came running up behind her. She stopped and turned. 'I hear congratulations are in order.' He had a wide grin on his face, something that grated on Seven. It was obvious that he was happy about something, and that the something was possibly at her expense.

'To what are you referring, Mr Paris?'

'I know I'm early, but I just couldn't resist.'

'Resist what?' She asked again, feeling like she was the punchline of some obscure joke.

'Haven't you heard?' His boyish grin further enhancing her black mood. 'Turns out our visitor can see into the future. He, and Naomi, saw you and a bouncing baby Borg. Congratulations Seven, you're going to be a mother one day!'

End Chapter Eight

Authors note:-

Introducing Q was a massive mistake. In fact there have been a lot of mistakes here. This story is massive fan service right now. I'm going to power on through to the end now as and when I can, but I admit this story is not one of my favoutes.

If anyone is looking for hints and tips take my advice, write up you're notes and stick to the main story before you start writing. Know how you're going to finish an idea before you start it, otherwise you get into a right mess


	10. Chapter Nine

An Uninvited Guest  
Chapter Nine

Kathryn looked at the padd and then looked up at her assembled senior staff. They had gathered in the briefing room once again to try and make sense of just who and what the Scholar was.

Outside the window behind her was a large moon they were orbiting, only slightly smaller than Earth it had some plant life, but no organism higher than insects. Right now half a dozen landing parties were conducting a survey while searching for the elusive resources their guest had requested. Other scientists were pouring over the data from the disestablishing gas giant near by. According to what she had heard they thought it was on course to hit a small cluster of asteroids in the next couple of weeks. the result was predicted to be new sun.

All in all she rather be in astrometrics reading the results of the scans than what was on the padd 'Is this all he gave you?' she asked incredulously.

'Yes.' Chakotay told her between clenched teeth, he'd obviously read it too and felt the same way she did, for all the good it would do.

Kathryn looked around and began to read. 'Eternals, or as you know them the Q, exist as a multidimensional waveform, much like an iceberg what you see is only a small fraction of the true scope of the being itself. They flitter across time and space much like bumblebees or butterflies, only poking through into perception at points of their own choosing. Their ability to fold and manipulate matter is internalised, thus they can swallow physical matter into a portion of themselves, giving them ultimate control over both perception and experience.' She took a breath and threw the padd down. 'His "report" is nonsense. A Multidimensional waveform cannot even be seen but we're suppose to believe that Q, one of the most power beings in the universe can just absorb physical matter?'

'Not entirely nonsense.' Her Vulcan security officer spoke up. 'It does offer some interesting perspectives, if true…'

'That's just my point, there is no evidence, one way or the other. He could be lying, misleading us or even out right leading us into a trap. How are we doing with the resources he's asked for?'

Neelix puffed out his chest, as he always did when he had something to say. 'Well we've found just about everything he wants, we're still trying to find the gemstone, but other than that every thing's…'

'Gemstone?' B'Elanna jumped in, 'Why does he need a gemstone, can't he replicate one?'

'Urm, No. He says its for the same reason he doesn't like replicated food, but I didn't quite understand what he said.'

'Don't worry about it Neelix.' Paris grinned, 'Most of us don't understand half of what he says, the other half I don't think I want to.'

Kathryn was tempted to agree. 'Seven, any input?' She looked at the former Borg, who looked lost in thought staring out the window. 'Seven?'

'Captain?'

'Can you explain why he would need a natural gemstone for his temporal sensor?

'A large gemstone.' Neelix added.

She seemed almost to frown. 'No. I have gone over what he requested and unfortunately my understanding is no more than it was before. Wood, tricorder components, parts of a base metals, the gemstone, the maitaniance kit for an anti-gravity sled.'

'An A-G sled?' Harry Kim asked. 'What's he need one of those for in a sensor array.'

Kathryn shook her head. 'I'm betting he just want's the plating. He's hardly going to be using the Anti-gravity motor for something. But wood?'

'Natural insolation?'

'Hang on hang on.' B'Elanna held a hand up. 'None of those sound like any ship based sensor I've ever heard of. Tricorder parts? He's not going to build a full scale temporal sensor array out of that pile of junk. He can't.'

'I think we need to redefine the notion of impossible.' Chakotay suggested. 'His technology and knowledge proves that we are like children in comparison. The fact he obviously scares the Q makes me even more nervous.'

'Same here.' Kathryn nodded. 'Alright, we do the only thing we can do. Keep watching. Tuvok I want you to shake up security, if he is going to try anything I want him off balance.

'Yes Captain.' The Vulcan nodded.

Good, dismissed.' Kathryn ordered. Looking down at her pads she pretended to rememberer something unimportant. 'Seven, a quick word. You might want to sit in on this Doctor.'

From the look Tom gave Harry no one was fooled for a second.

Kathryn waited for a moment as everyone left. 'I've heard a few rumours very recently, not to make you feel uncomfortable Seven but it's all over the ship. I have to ask, are you?'

'Am I what, Captain?'

While Seven didn't seem uncomfortable, Kathryn certainly was. A Captain didn't have any business bringing this up with a member of her crew. What they did amongst themselves was purely their own business. The problem was Seven wasn't exactly like every other member of her crew and stranded nearly half a galaxy way new members presented their own problems. It was only a matter of luck and good judgement that they weren't knee deep in children by now. 'Pregnant Seven. Are you pregnant.'

She stiffened slightly, Kathryn wouldn't have noticed it if she didn't' know her so well. 'No, I am not Captain. As I understand it this rumour comes from a prediction by the Scholar, through Naomi Wildman.'

"Yes Captain, it seems that this Scholar chose to show Naomi something of importance. I still haven't been able to make much sense of what she has told me but there is some suggestion that they both had some sort of shared hallucination that involved Seven of Nine here.' the Doctor reported, 'Of course Mr Neelix happened to be there.'

'And there's no faster way to get a rumour started on this ship than to include Neelix.' Kathryn smiled. 'I can have a word with him if you want me to Seven.'

'Irrelevant, Mr Neelix would most likely find it impossible to refrain from his current actions. As for other people's opinions I find myself unconcerned, I have witnessed more than forty rumours begin on board since my arrival, twenty three have been in regards to myself and all have been incorrect.'

'I see.' Kathryn said carefully before standing up. 'Well I'll have a word with Neelix anyway, I don't want you to be singled out like that. Doctor, how's Naomi?'

'Perfectly fine.' the hologram told her. 'There was some odd synaptic readings shortly after, well what I'm calling an hallucination, but that's now faded. As far as I can tell there haven't been anymore side effects than you would after a particularly vivid dream.'

'And you Seven, I have to say I noticed you were distracted in there, I think everyone did.'

Again Seven looked uncomfortable and again you had to know her to tell. 'The possibility had not occurred to me. I find the thought, distracting.'

'Have to agree with you there.' Kathryn tried to be supportive. The idea of a pregnant Borg was not one she was ready to contemplate.'

Kathryn felt the beginning of a headache flair up. She tried to hide the tell tale wince. but it was obvious her chief medical officer had seen it. Silently cursing his creator, Dr Zimmerman, for being that good at his job she came to a decision. 'Alright, Seven keep trying to make sense of that inventory list, here take this too.' She handed the useless padd to her. 'See if there any clues in that. The Doctor and I are going down to the brig to have a word with the Scholar about this.'

* * *

That the Scholar had been given full quarters at the brig was hardly a surprise. That he hadn't complained once about the accommodation specifically was worrying. He'd spend hours insulting their technology, ideas and science out right calling them everything but primitive barbarians. Commander Chakotay had suggested that the reason was that this was where he wanted to be, the longer he stayed there the more likely that was right.

The Doctor didn't like that, after all who felt comfortable in a cell?

'So why don't you start at the beginning?' the Captain asked. 'What did you do to Naomi Wildman?'

The Scholar sat on the edge of his bed, shuffling six faceless squares of steel that he'd pulled out of his cloak. Occasionally flipping one over or around his fingers as if giving his hands something to do. 'Ahh so that is what this is about. As you're hologram will tell you she's unharmed. Maybe a little inspired, but that's no bad thing.'

'That's not what I asked.' The Captain pointed out.

'Haven't you learnt yet that an answer without context is just another question?' He sighed almost too fast to follow the squares vanished and he stood up. 'I can see, for lack of a better term, possible futures. Not likely ones, or likeable ones, but possible and I can work out just how possible. All my people can. Take you're Borg's future for instance. She is a young woman of child bearing age, interacting with others on a daily basis. Naturally she will form connections with male members of the crew. She'll grow closer to one than the others and things may develop. I'm sure I don't have to explain the process. Eventually the natural result occurs, now the human race is roughly fifty two percent female, thus any child is mathematically more likely to be female.'

The Doctor saw an obvious flaw in that logic, the same one he had seen since this idiotic rumour had started but kept silent. The Captain didn't. 'That's it? All this for a simple guess?'

'It's more than a guess, think of it more like cross between an educated hunch and a mathematical calculation. Of course I could be wrong.'

The Captain looked shocked at that. 'Really, the same way you could be wrong about the Federation.'

'Oh no, I'm certain the Federation will die. It's historical and mathematical inevitability, eventually all equations reach zero, all things end. The only question is when. It is entirely possible that Annika, or Seven as you call her, will die in an attack, or accident before having her child. Such is life, the Federation might not be alive in the same sense but it still exists in a finite universe, as such it begins and it ends.'

It was impossible for the Doctor to feel cold, or to feel the breeze from an open door, but the way the Captain shivered it wasn't hard to imagine that is what had just happened. 'That's why you say there is nothing you can do?'

'Exactly.' he smiled widely, even though The Doctor couldn't see any reason for him to. 'Now I need to have a word with you're hologram about some tools I'll need to borrow. You're energising equipment might be good enough for what you need but it's no where near precise enough for me.'

The Captain looked at him sceptically. 'There are two armed guards outside the door.' She announced. 'and several still at key sections of the ship. Contact Mr Tuvok on the bridge if you want anything.' A curt nod to the Doctor she left.

After a moment the Doctor stood there, trying to decide if he should ask the questions he wanted answers to. He didn't get a chance. 'Of course I lied to her, the captain I mean.'

'You what?'

'Annika is barren, there are at least four Borg implants that have completely destroyed her ability to reproduce. Not to mention the handful of other implants that have inhibited basic things like the desire for companionship, compassion and even simple curiosity. That the Captain even thinks of her as human is almost amusing.'

'You know…?'

'That they are inoperable, at least at you're current level of technology? Yes of course.' The Scholar shrugged. 'I'm not an idiot.'

The EMH was lost, if the Scholar knew why the prediction wasn't true why try to defend it? why make it and why did Naomi still insist it was real. With all those questions the only thing he could do was ask; 'Then why?'

The Scholar took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'Because Naomi saw more than she ever should. It wasn't just a possible future, but part of Annika's ideal future.'

'I don't understand, what do you mean Ideal, and part? You're not making any sense.'

'Of course I'm not, You're a trick of light trapped in a matrix of forcefields and ever shifting programming. I'm talking of metaphysics, transversing possibilities and probabilities. I might as well be explaining holophotography to a blind man.' He put his fingertips together and seemed to focus on the middle distance. 'Imagine if your creator chose to become a warp field expert instead of focusing on holograms. Someone else would probably invent your program eventually. Maybe not as good, maybe not as effective or maybe a lot later. What sort of effect would that have on this ship? How many would have died?'

'You have a point to this I suppose?' the Doctor asked.

'Oh yes, a very good one. Would you're creator have lived up to his potential? would he have enjoyed his life?'

Dr Zimmerman was the for most expert on holograms in all the Federation. From what the Doctor knew of him he was also somewhat of an eccentric, if passionate about what he did. He said so.

'So we can say he has fulfilled his ideal destiny, or at least a part of it. There was always a chance that he could have become a Doctor himself. Instead he made you and you're existence has gone on to effect others and those others have gone on to great things. The best possible future for all of humanity.'

'I'm following you.' He was, sort of.

'So some futures are desirable others aren't. Some are good for all, some for a few and even more for no one and the decisions we make decide the future. In small ways and big. That tiny, blonde, child has the potential to change everything. To save even more lives. She will make Annika happier than she can possibly imagine and her impact will be great.'

The Doctor tried to calculate just what he was begin told. 'You saw an ideal possible future, Naomi saw it with you and now you're telling me this because?'

'Well I don't see an ideal future, more all of them.' The Scholar shrugged helplessly. 'The good and the bad. I see the innocent and helpless suffering. The struggles ahead, the necessary pain and the cruelty of joy. That little girl must be Hologram. one tiny thread in a greater tapestry. Her legacy and yours will be a slim sliver of hope one day.'

The Doctor shook his head. 'No, this is not possible. You're telling me that years in the future a child that cannot be born will save the Federation?'

The Scholar snorted with laugher. 'No, you've made the same mistake. the Fall of the Federation doesn't mean a bad thing.' suddenly a bright grin spread across his face. 'As one empire falls another rises, For one thing to start another must end. The Federations end will eventually lead to a renaissance of science, exploration and discovery. New ideas and new understanding. Greater than even the heady heights of sentient holograms and replicators.'

'And Seven's child will be part of this new renaissance?'

'No, but she will be a Rallying point. What she does and what she learns can help.'

'Why tell me this?' The Doctor asked. 'Why not Seven or the Captain?'

You're the ship's doctor, you need to do the surgery. That and Seven of Nine trusts you, you have some measure of her personality and of common sense. I'm not going to be here much longer and I need to put the wheels in motion somehow.'

'All this is to help us? why?'

The Scholar sat down. 'I'm already facing some pretty serious charges back home. My presence here alone has caused ripples in the timeline, both back and forth you can't begin to see. This won't limit it, but perhaps it might help direct it.' he sighed. 'Get back to your sickbay Doctor. You have the knowledge that it's possible, that should be enough for now. Trust your instincts and the future will take care of itself. It usually does.' With that he closed his eyes, dismissing the Doctor.

End Chapter Nine


End file.
